Artemis Fowl: Legend of Frond
by Captain Arianna Trouble
Summary: Artemis Fowl is in Chicago, and seems to stumble on a fairy. The problem is she doesn't know it. And then the Mafia gets involved with an old score to settle.
1. Beautiful View

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. The rights go to Eoin Colfer.

If you read my first fic, you know I stink at intros. Here is the sequel to Artemis Fowl: Encrypted Trouble. This is called (drum role please)

**Artemis Fowl: Legend of Frond**

Chapter 1: Beautiful View

Venice, Italy

Isabella Antonellis was a very average girl. At least, she pretended to be. And that was a difficult feat. Her physical appearance was enough to single her out. Barely four feet tall, with the proportions of any other fourteen year old girl. Her raven black hair went to her knees, but on a regular sized girl, it would only reach the small of her back. Isabella didn't mind her height. Compared to her maternal grandmother, she was a giantess.

Her biggest problem would have to be her ears. They were pointed, just like an elf. They were very pointed, just like her grandmother. And her mother as well. Most of her maternal family had pointed ears and a vertically challenged body.

Thankfully, she didn't have to face her peers. She had been tutored since she was three years of age. She had proved to be very smart from an early age and by nine years of age had mastered any language thrown her way. It was strange. She had trouble writing the languages, but could speak them with the fluency and accents of a native. Sometimes, Isabella swore that she could understand animals as well.

It was for these reasons that she was chosen to compete in an academic competition, representing Italy along with some private school snob. It would be her first Christmas away from home, but she'd still be with family. The competition was being held in Chicago, because on of the American representatives lived there. It just so happened that her great uncle, Spats Antonellis, lived there with is family. She hadn't seen them before, but heard that they were nice.

At the moment, she was starring out her balcony window, having just finished packing. Tomorrow, she'd be on her way to America. There was a cough from behind her. She turned, and embraced her tiny grandmother. Even though she was quite old, she looked no more than fifty. Her mother's family was known for their longevity.

"How proud would your mother be, to see you now," Graelsilla Frons said softly. She tucked back her graying hair, revealing her own pointed ears. Isabella looked away. Her mother had died just after she was born. Some sort of weird fire.

"I'm going to miss you," Isabella assured her grandmother.

"Why? You'll be rid of me," she chuckled. "I want you to have this, as an early Christmas present." The old woman pulled out an envelope with a big bulge in it. Isabella opened it eagerly. Inside, there was a lengthy letter and an acorn.

"Plant it in America. Acorns are a family tradition. I planted mine in Germany," Graelsilla said. "And read the letter when you're there. Everything it says is true." She snatched the letter back, and sealed it in another envelope. "But not until Christmas."

"I, uh, I will grandmother," Isabella hugged her grandmother. "See you in the morning." As her grandmother shuffled out, she stared at the acorn, rolling it around in her palm. Why did she get this? She was sorely tempted to open the letter, but her grandmother would find out. She knew everything.

Isabella sighed, and looked out at the canals and stars. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen in America. But there was a weird feeling, and her grandmother always taught her to trust instinct.


	2. Departure

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Artemis Fowl. Those go to Eoin Colfer.

Told you my intros were bad.

Chapter 2: Departure

**Dublin International Airport, Ireland**

"How many times have you been to America, Artemis?" Alexis Vanderbelt pestered. He shrugged.

"A few," he said, remembering the most recent trip in which he had almost died. Probably best not to mention it.

"This is my first time going there. And my first plane flight," she added. She was very nervous, even though the plane was still on the ground. If only she remembered her shuttle ride, this might not be so bad.

Artemis Fowl studied the girl next to him. Over the past few months, he had tried to get her to realize that fairies existed, but Foaly had ensured that only something big would create a recall. Since the age of twelve, he had gone on several adventures with the People, the hidden race of mythical creatures living beneath the Mud Men. Perhaps this trip would prove fruitful, considering that he was going to meet a fairy dwarf known as Mulch Diggums.

"Hey, what does this thing do, oh!" Alexis' chair reclined, causing her to slid into the seat behind her. "Hello Butler."

"Hello Alexis," the manservant answered, and he moved his knees so that she could get back to her own seat. Artemis let out a chuckle. She sat down.

"You never saw that," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Saw what?" Before Alexis could make a rebuttal, the seatbelt sign lit up. "Buckle up."

As the small plane started to lift off the ground, Artemis felt a hand on his. Normally, the invasion of personal space was more than he could take, but Alexis had changed him. Although they weren't in a romantic relationship, she had shown him that holding hands and hugging weren't as bad or primitive as he had once believed. Except for their kiss when they first met, nothing was ever intimate between them.

She had helped him meet people at their school, and he found himself with a small group of friends, boys and girls. It was a new experience for him. But Alexis was by far his closest friend as a peer. He was glad that she had been 'selected' to accompany him. It might just make the competition interesting.

**O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, USA**

**Artemis was used to the easy life, but he was nevertheless surprised to see that they were being taken to the opening ceremonies in a limousine. When he got in, he couldn't resist the urge to test out the numerous buttons. Luckily, neither could Alexis. **

Butler watched in amazement as his charge was convinced to copy thousands of Hollywood film by standing through the sunroof with Alexis, waving at the people. He was still the boy genius Butler had protected for nearly fifteen years, but he had learned how to loosen up a little. It was good to know that Artemis finally had human friends.

When they arrived at the location, Butler got out, holding the door open. He scanned the small, smiling crowd of camera operators and reporters. The only thing that had worried him about this trip was any employees of Jon Spiro looking for revenge on Artemis. That was the last thing he wanted. Well, the second to last. The first would be the appearance of dangerous fairies. Other than Mulch.

Another limo pulled up behind the one they had just arrived in. As he started to follow his Principal in, he decided to have the first look at the competition. A boy got out, and it took less than a second for him to label the teen as Italian. Behind him, a very tiny person got out. Had butler not been seasoned with years of experience, his jaw would have dropped. The girl was stunning, but it wasn't that which had caused him surprise. It was her pointed ears and childlike size. This was an elf!

It happened that Artemis saw her too. As soon as they were inside and seated at the large dinner theatre where they would be greeted, he pulled Butler aside.

"I believe we have some company." He looked around. "Strange, she entered the building with no trouble. Either she got an invitation, or is a rogue, already depleted of magic. We must contact Holly."

Butler nodded, and left his charge to go back to the table. He took out a very small camera, taking a few pictures, in case she was already wanted by the LEP. Second, he put on a pair of glasses, looking all around the elf. There were no other fairies with her, shielded or otherwise. Finding a small alcove, he pulled out the two-way radio Holly had given to Artemis. After a few moments of static, Holly Short appeared on the screen.

"Butler? What is it?" she asked groggily. He realized that it was more or less nighttime in haven, and he had probably awoken her.

"We found a fairy," he said, keeping his voice low as some people walked past. If he didn't make too much noise, he'd just look like some guy watching a portable TV. "I took a few pictures." He connected the camera, sending the photos to Holly.

"Where?"

"She's in Chicago, but came from Italy," Butler said. "She's a bit taller than you, and she came into the building with no issues. But she might have received an invite."

"That's odd. I'm sending these to Foaly," Butler heard holy taping on a keyboard. "He'll tell us if she's escaped from anywhere recently."

"Holly, I'm reminded of Opal," he added.

"Why?"

"She's from Italy, a little taller than the average fairy, maybe this girl is another pixie gone human." Holly considered it.

"Just keep an eye on her until we get there."

"We?" Butler asked. Holly nodded, and the picture blurred as she turned it. Suddenly, He saw Mulch and Root sitting at desks, looking through papers.

"Me, Root, and Mulch. The three X's," she chuckled.

"The three X's? Oh, I get it," he put up three fingers. "An ex-convict, an ex-captain, and an ex-commander. Cute."

"That's what Mulch said when he made the fliers," Holly sighed. "Once we get a visa, we'll get there right away. Be careful, you've already died once because of something from Chicago."

"The only thing that can possibly kill me in Chicago is the deep dish pizza," Butler joked, and the signal was terminated. Quietly, he joined Artemis and Alexis at the table, and watched the boring entertainment. The whole time it was promoting world peace. Obviously, the event organizers were hoping to send a message to these kids. From the looks of the students, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. At one of the tables, the delegates had pushed their chairs away from each other. It didn't even look like they were at the same table.

Okay, that was still pretty bad. But it'll heat up.


	3. Unlikely Allies

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Artemis Fowl. Those go to Eoin Colfer.

If you don't think Root is alive, read the title of chapter 3 in OD. _Nearly_ departed.

Chapter 3: Unlikely Allies

**Haven Shuttle Port **

"Stop looking at me like that! It hurts that you don't trust me!"

"I'll trust you when I you give me a reason to," Julius Root retorted to a melodramatic Mulch Diggums. This comment only caused the kleptomaniac to nearly sob. Root knew it was all an act. After arresting somebody for three hundred years, you learned their style of gaining sympathy.

"It does look bad for you Mulch," Holly stepped in, seeing as her ex-commander was about to strangle the dwarf. "I can understand your wanting to go topside for your vacation, but Chicago? And planned for the same time that Artemis is there? After the last time you were there?"

Mulch looked down at his cowboy boots. "You see, after I risked my own _life_ for Artemis, I left everything I owned at my apartment, which is located in Chicago. I just want my possessions back," he pouted for good measure. "I mean, is it that bad to want the woolen sweater my late grandmother wove?"

"Not if you stole it from her," Root said.

"Julius, how could you! I haven't stolen anything since I started working with Holly."

"The day you don't steal anything is the day I'll eat my foot, convict."

"Now that's just derogatory! Holly, make him stop!"

"Commander," Holly said quickly, "Why don't we let Mulch go? He can check out the situation, tell us if we're actually needed." It was a stretch, but she knew that Root would rather Mulch steal than bother him twenty-four/seven.

"Fine, but we'll follow up once our visas clear. And you better not have any extra baggage!" he shouted after the fleeing bum flap. "It is still too big of a coincidence for me to feel comfortable. Mulch topside, with Fowl."

"And at an art exhibit," a new voice said. Holly was relieved that Foaly had finally shown up. Somebody other than Mulch for the ex-commander to shout at.

"What?" Holly asked. Beside her, Root was living up to the nickname Beetroot. Not a good sign.

"I was looking up the contestants in the competition, which Artemis rigged so that he'd get in, by the way, and I found that one of the days of the match the Mud Men would go to a Van Gogh art exhibit. Some original works and very tight security."

There was a rumbling as one of the shuttles took off. "And you just sent a thief to it," he whinnied. Root slapped himself on the forehead and then pantomimed strangling someone. One of these days Diggums, one of these days. Hey might be coworkers, but they were still, from his point of view, enemies.

Holly groaned inwardly. Sending Mulch to highly protected works of art was like sending a ravenous dog to meat locked behind a chain link fence. And Artemis was wire cutters, helping the dog along.

**Chicago**

Each two person team was paired with another team to have four members. It was meant to help the underprivileged countries to have a chance, but was more for the judges convenience. Fifty teams were easier to keep track of than one hundred.

As the emcee rearranged the teams, Alexis and Artemis were alone at their table with Butler, waiting for Ireland to be read. Italy was still free, and he could meet the elfin girl. But so were five or six other teams.

"Russia," the announcer pointed to a table, "and America," Once the two Americans had worked their way across the room, he read another team. "Italy and…Ireland."

Getting up to move, Alexis whispered, "We get that really short girl, right? The one with pointy ears?" Artemis simply nodded. With any luck, she might regain her memories by meeting this fairy. Alexis looked thoughtful. "I swear I've seen her somewhere before."

When they reached the table, Artemis studied both of his new partners. The boy didn't look very bright, but he was very handsome. His every movement told Artemis that he was from old money, no doubt the son of some political figurehead. And of course the girl, she was either an undercover fairy or an extremely unfortunate case of genetic mutation. He sat down and introduced himself.

"I am Artemis Fowl the Second, and this is Alexis Vanderbelt," he said.

"The first," she added. After being more or less named for her father, she liked to be sure of her originality.

"I am Enrique Alejandro Cortez Frayne the Fourth," the boy said, his nose held high. Seeing the looks he got from everyone at the table, he added, "Of the Frayne dynasty."

"Nasty is right," Alexis coughed. Artemis smiled. He turned his gaze to the girl.

"And you?"

"Isabella Antonellis. My middle names are my business," she said, poking her companion in the ribs. Obviously, she didn't like him very much.

"Ow! I'm very sensitive there!" Before Enrique could continue his whining, a waiter came over to take their orders. Artemis looked around for Butler. He was at one of the back tables with the parents, and Artemis felt sorry for the bodyguard. Although he could understand all the languages and conversations going on, it was easy enough to guess that the parents were bragging about their respective countries and children.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Enrique decided it was his duty to inform everyone about his family's political standings. Isabella ignored him and started to talk to Alexis and Artemis.

"I'm sorry about him," she grumbled. Artemis wondered how long she had put up with him. For a fairy to put up with an arrogant Mud Boy was one thing, but it was still annoying for anybody.

"That's fine, but I'd pick Arty any day," Alexis said. She was one of four people in the world to openly use that nickname for him. Just like with Juliet, he didn't mind.

"So, what are your interests?" she asked, trying to make some conversation over Enrique's droning.

Artemis decided to take a chance and test her. "Well," he said in fluent French, "I enjoy learning languages." Russian. "It is fun and most rewarding." Celtic. "Do you speak many languages?"

"Yes," Isabella said in English. Alexis was dumbstruck.

"You understood all of that? How many languages do you know?"

"Only a few. Which were you speaking?" she asked, her face blushing. "I understand them, I just forget which is which."

"French, Russian, and Celtic," Artemis said. Isabella's eyes practically popped. Odd, he thought. She has the gift of tongues but doesn't seem to know it. Could she have been mind wiped? Another eerie thought came to him. What if she doesn't know she's a fairy?

Fortunately for Isabella, the food arrived, distracting even Enrique. The room seemed to become quiet as everyone took refuge from their teammates by eating. Artemis looked at his plate. To his surprise, it wasn't what he ordered. It wasn't even on the menu. Fish and chips. He looked around for the waiter, but he was gone. A mere moment later, a different waiter came up.

'Sorry your plate took a little long…Where did you get that?" he asked. Artemis shrugged, trying to keep it casual.

"Guy just put it down. Must have made a mistake."

"I see. Sorry about that" the waiter continued mumbling as he switched the plates. Artemis felt a chill run down his spine. Fish and chips. He was in Chicago, the home of one of his enemies, Jon Spiro. Spiro owned a line of technologies called Fission Chips. Could it have been coincidence? It was a rhetorical question. He knew very well that it wasn't.


	4. Playing with Fire

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Sorry if this took a while, I was on vacation.

Chapter 4: Playing with Fire

**Chicago**

Isabella was pleased with her new teammates. It was her old partner, Enrique, that was the problem. Get rid of him and the team would have a chance at winning. Luckily, it seemed that Artemis was smart enough to be a team himself.

The group was heading to their respective hotel rooms. Girls in one room, boys in another. Isabella pitied Artemis, for he had to share a room with the egotistical Enrique. It was possible that Artemis wouldn't get any sleep with the jerk spouting his family history. She herself had almost died during the flight when he started talking about how he was related to Julius Caesar.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she almost walked into Alexis. They had arrived at their room, and the boys were just across the hall. With a dramatic swipe of the card, Alexis opened the door. Isabella wondered if they had been given a suite. The first thing she noticed was that it had a balcony. As soon as they put their things down and claimed beds, both the girls went out, looking at the Chicago skyline.

"Is this your first time traveling alone?" Isabella asked.

"Pretty much, if you don't count Artemis and Butler."

"Oh," she tried to think of something else to say. She really wanted to be friends with this girl. "By the way, if Alexis seems too formal, call my Lexi. My parents started doing that recently."

"Then call me Izzy," she giggled. No one had ever called her by that nickname since she was four. Time to bring it back. She looked at the skyscrapers and then directly down. Far below her was a small carpet of grass, the place where she had planted the acorn her grandmother had given her.

"Let's see, if this is North," Alexis murmured, "then that's Deerfield, and that's--" There was a knocking on the door.

"You order room service?" Isabella asked. Alexis shook her head. The two crossed the room, and Alexis looked through the peephole, since Isabella was too short to reach.

"It's Artemis! Should we let him in?"

"Is the _idiota_ with him?" Alexis shook her head again. "Then let him in." Lexi pulled the door open. Artemis stepped in quickly and shut the door much faster than necessary.

"Enrique looking for you?" Isabella knew how troublesome he could be. He looked through the peephole.

"Hopefully, he is a dumb as he looks."

"Believe me, he is," Izzy sighed. "Come sit down. Want a soda?" She motioned to the small fridge on the floor. At least they could have some team unity without Enrique.

"I'll get ice," Lexi said, heading to the door. She opened it slowly, checking the hallway before leaving. Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Is she always like this?"

"She has a little brother that enjoys spying on her. When we were selected to go on this trip, she was glad to be leaving him behind. But, it looks like your dear partner, Isabella, is just as bad."

"First, call me Izzy, except in front of my 'dear partner'. And do you have any siblings?"

"No. For a time, I wondered what it would be like, but then I met Alex, Alexis' brother," Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you have any older siblings?"

"Nada. My mother died when I was little."

"Natural causes?"

"A fire."

"My sympathies Isabella. I know what it's like to lose someone close," Artemis said sincerely. Although, the person who had died was revived. But there was no reason to mention that.

"She wasn't very young though," Isabella continued, her voice quiet. "All the photos of her she looks to be in her mid-twenties. I mean, she was short like me, but no one could tell she was nearly forty. My dad didn't know either," Izzy chuckled. "She was just like my grandmother. Even though she's shorter. She looks barely fifty but is in at least her nineties."

"I take it there is a pattern of longevity in your family," Artemis said. Izzy cast him a look. He had said it so calmly, and yet, he seemed very interested.

"Yes, I suppose."

"You wouldn't happen to know what causes that, would you?"

"Why?" Now the conversation was getting strange. She looked into his deep blue eyes.

For a moment, Artemis held his breath, wondering if he should continue with his plan. He blinked, determined not to be distracted.

"Doesn't everyone want a long life?" Now the risky part. "I mean, to be nearly immortal, like fairies."

"Oh, you're funny," Izzy said, jumping to her feet. "Real mature Artemis."

"What?" It was a rare moment for Artemis Fowl. He was genuinely confused.

"You think that in the last fourteen years I never noticed my ears? Think I was never called a fairy or elf?" In frustration, she balled up her fists and threw them at the floor, opening her hands. As she did so, two streams of flame erupted from each hand. Isabella gasped, looking at her palms. Artemis was just as surprised. She was defiantly one of the People. And she didn't know it, that was for certain. But elves didn't have power over fire, only goblins. What was this girl?

Before Artemis could explain, Isabella reached into her pocket, taking out an envelope. She looked at it, then Artemis, and shook her head. With a shove, she put it back into her pocket. She put a fake smile on her face.

"I fooled you didn't I?" she gave a weak laugh. Thankfully for Isabella, Alexis rushed into the room, slamming the door shut behind her. The People forgotten, Artemis and Isabella looked at her.

"It wasn't my fault," she said hurriedly.

"What happened Lexi?" Artemis looked from Isabella to Alexis, and he mouthed the nickname. Alexis grinned feebly. She crossed the room, sitting between the two.

"Well, there were some other delegates at the ice machine. I arrived just in time to see one of the kids trying to do a jig. An Irish jig, mind you. He was terrible, and we were all laughing. He got mad, and asked if any of us could do better. And I could and I did, along with two other girls. But he just got madder, which led to me running back here."

"You really need to work on your people skills," Artemis said. But he was smiling anyway.

"It wasn't as if I was doing it alone or out of spite. But he got mad at me because I was the Irish one. Something about an unfair advantage." She shrugged. "Artemis is a better dancer than that kid. No offense Arty."

"None taken. I see how bad this boy was then." As the girls laughed, he couldn't help but feel surprised. He had made a joke that was funny, something that wasn't common in his life. It amazed him how much he was acting like, well, a _teenager_. He would have to speak to Butler about this. The bodyguard was sleeping in the adjoining room, so it wouldn't be difficult to sneak away from Enrique.

Yes, he might become a problem, Artemis thought. When Mulch arrives, there is a chance that my roommate will see the dwarf. That wouldn't be good. We'll have to do something about that.


	5. Family Business

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. Those go to Eoin Colfer.

Chapter 5: Family Business

**Police Plaza, Haven**

Major Trouble Kelp was seriously considering leaving the LEP. It might be fun to join Holly's detective agency., except, if he joined, so would his brother. He wouldn't mind that much, but Root and Holly would. Trouble sighed. Ever since learning that Root was alive, he had believed that he would be commander again, but the system just didn't work that way. Now, he was stuck with the egotistical Commander Ark Sool.

The gnome might be bearable if Holly was with him, since the two were good friends. They had made jokes about Beetroot, they would have made jokes about Sool. Instead, he was stuck with neither Holly nor Root. One was better than none.

Commander Sool took every opportunity to push Trouble to his limits. Since he had been one of the best LEP officers, Sool decided not to trust Root's 'Golden Boy'. And Grub was no help. In less than two days, Grub Kelp became the gnome's personal suck up. Pathetic really. While one brother succeeded, the other failed. And now the roles were reversed.

There was a small knocking on the wall of his cubicle. Trouble slowly turned, careful not to bump into Chix Verbil's wings. The sprite, thankfully, was asleep, rather than chatting. More work was done when Chix slept. He looked to the hallway, and there was Grub. D'Arvit, he thought. Then Holly appeared next to his baby brother. Win-lose situation. He quickly stepped into the hallway, skillfully avoiding Chix's fluttering wings.

"Hi Holly. Grub," he nodded. Holly also nodded, while Grub immediately started talking.

"Trubs, she wants to see you, but it'll count as your break time. And I tried to stop her, but she just barreled in. And--" but Trouble shot his brother a look, sending him away muttering something about Mommy. Before Grub Kelp, no one in the LEP thought the word mother or it's many variations. Now it was almost common amongst the cadets.

"So what brings you back to the Plaza?" Trouble asked casually. In truth, he was very curious to her visit.

"Mulch," she shrugged.

"Figures. What law has he broken this time?"

"None. But we're worried that he's about to pull of a big heist with our favorite Mud Boy," Holly said.

"How can he even think of doing something illegal with Root by him twenty-four-seven?"

Holly flashed him a smile. "Since Root takes every opportunity to get away from our dear dwarf. And he's found an apartment now, so he's been getting ready to move."

"My mother will make him a Jell-O mold," Trouble smiled. He'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to Holly. She laughed.

"Anyway, we got a call from Butler about what might be a fairy in Chicago. So, we decided to check it out, except we needed visas. And guess who already had one?"

"Mr. Diggums." Holly nodded. "But why is Artemis in Chicago?"

"Some school competition. But Mulch was planning to take his vacation there this week, when Artemis would be there, and, as Foaly just told us, there is an art exhibit. A priceless collection. Two and two adds up to four."

"I take it you want some LEP to check it out?" Trouble asked. He hoped she'd say yes. He really wanted to get out of Sool's line of sight.

"Basically. To check out the report of a fairy, and maybe arrest Mulch."

"How would I convince the Commander to let me go? We're not exactly friends."

"Even though Mulch was pardoned, he should be under some LEP surveillance," a new voice said. Foaly was clopping down the hallway. "It is only right that his first visit up top be monitored. And I've got some information on the Mud Girl. For which, you owe me some carrots."

"So it isn't a fairy?" Holly asked eagerly.

"Well, yes…and no," Foaly said slowly, looking at his hooves. "Her name is Isabella Antonellis. A human with fairy blood. Royal fairy blood, actually."

"A child of Frond? Like Lily?" Holly gasped. Foaly looked uncertain.

"Her grandmother is Graelsilla Frons. Her great-grandfather was Leif Frond."

"You're kidding!" Holly exclaimed. "He died a couple scores ago. His recycling ceremony was on the news and everything."

"I remember my mom cried when he died. But she also cried for that human singer with the hair," Trouble mused.

"He didn't die," Foaly said in a conspiratorial whisper. Trouble and Holy leaned closer. "To save the family from scandal, they pretended he had died. He more or less went into exile on the surface."

"Why?" Trouble asked. He had always enjoyed History at the Academy. New history was the best.

"Leif's father was a famous man since he was a descendant of King Frond. But Leif's mother was a goblin. He himself was an abomination to the family because he was a hybrid. So, when he was old enough, he ran away to the surface and married a human girl."

Trouble and Holly exchanged looks. Being half goblin wasn't very fun in Haven. Most half-breeds were made fun of. But neither could imagine how any Mud Girl could marry someone who looked like a really bad Godzilla costume.

Foaly saw them. "The Mud Maid was blind. She believed her husband had a simple skin condition. And he had changed his name to Anthony Frons."

"Foaly, how do you learn these things?" Holly asked, amazed at the information. He smiled at her.

"It's a matter of who you know. It's amazing how many important fairies have computer diaries."

"So this girl is one eighth fairy?" Trouble asked, changing the subject. He himself had a virtual diary. He'd have to get rid of it now.

"Yes. That means there are procedures the LEP needs to carry out, correct?" Foaly whinnied. Trouble shrugged. Thankfully, yet another person burst in, keeping him from having to search the LEP handbook.

"Holly, the visas are in," Julius Root announced. "We've got a dwarf to catch. Trouble, have you been told of the situation?"

"Yessir," he said out of habit. Foaly quickly handed Root a pile of papers.

"Here's everything I got on the girl, Julius."

"Don't call me Julius," Root responded gruffly, snatching the file. He arched an eyebrow. "She's related to Frond?"

"And a goblin," Foaly added. "Brains, royalty, and fire power. Not a common combination."

"Not a common case," Trouble said. Holly and Root quickly ran off down the hallway for their flight. He turned to the centaur.

"So, how do we convince Sool to make this a case?"

"We? Sorry Trouble, you're on your own with the commander. He hates me more than he hates you," Foaly chuckled, heading back to the Ops Booth, leaving a grimacing Trouble behind. There was a sudden snort in the cubicle.

"What I miss? What I miss?" A groggy Chix asked, looking around blearily.

**Warehouse, Chicago**

Carla Frazetti was a very powerful woman. The way she stood in her black suite made it obvious that she was used to living well. And she did. After all, her godfather was the feared Spats Antonellis, the leader of the Chicago Mafia. Nobody dared cross her.

This day was different. She was at the beck and call of a little kid. Well, the girl was _little,_ but she was fourteen. And worse, she was the niece of Spats. In the Mafia hierarchy, family beat godchildren. Carla was out of luck.

Thankfully, the girl, Isabella, wasn't bossy. She seemed sad, even. Time to play the part of caring family friend.

"Isabella, what's wrong? You seem upset," Carla said, her voice dripping with false concern. The girl looked up, pushing a lock of black hair behind her remarkably pointed ear.

"Just, there was a boy I met at the competition…" Isabella started slowly.

"Good looking?" If it was a dating problem, Carla just might have the answer the kid was looking for. She was a notorious heartbreaker in her younger days. Now, no man approached her without an application or a death wish.

"Uh, I guess. But my problem is, he was acting nice, and then he turned around to be a total jerk," Isabella let out an angry sigh. She was glad to have finally gotten it out.

"Most guys are like that honey," Carla said. Inside, she cursed herself. _Honey_? Were did that come from? The girl was getting to her.

"Well, it was just, he was asking about my family, being sympathetic and he seemed genuine. Then he made fun of my ears. I expected that when I was six. Not at this age."

"Men are jerks. The way the world works." Carla looked around the room. There were most likely a few cameras and recorders hidden. To make sure she was kind to the boss's niece.

"Can you tell me his name? Maybe we can do something about him."

"Artemis Fowl." Carla was shocked. That was the boy who had caused al that trouble a while back. Spats had been waiting to wreak revenge, and it looked like his chance was approaching. And Spiro…well, Jon was Jon. Carla smiled. She would have to baby-sit more often.


	6. Deceit in the Dark

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Chapter 6: Deceit in the Dark

**Chicago**

Mulch looked around the towering skyscrapers with the slightest bit of awe. He had almost forgotten how amazing he Windy City was. The dwarf giggled. One of the reasons he had picked this city when he was on the run form the LEP was the name. He was surprised that Julius hadn't thought of it before, a dwarf hiding in the Windy City. The name was perfect. And besides, that was where his first arson charge was. But he didn't do it, and eventually a cow was found guilty. The look on Root's face when that little bit of information came in was worth it.

He scanned the surrounding passer-bys. None of them were the boy genius and his gorilla. Even though he and Butler were somewhat friends, he still could get frightened of the big guy. If he endangered Artemis, he knew that with barely any hesitation Butler would kill him. But he was protective of Arty anyway. The kid had saved his skin and got him out of a very long prison sentence. And besides, the kid had an undeniable style.

But back to business. Mulch was cautious in his steady progress to the meeting place. Artemis had arranged for them to meet at some museum. He had to be careful, because there was always the chance that someone might recognize him, and he was supposed to be dead. With a giggle, he could already envision the reactions of the two goons that buried him alive. Pex and Chips, not the brightest in the box. Mulch rarely pitied stupidity, but these two were the exceptions. Besides, they were so easy to make fun of.

As the last rays of the sun disappeared the people outside of the museum disappeared with it. Mulch simply felt relief. All day he had been fretting about how strong his sun block was, even though he had a trench coat and a wide brimmed hat. Frankly, the stuff was starting to stink. He looked around for a bubbler to wash it off when he saw a diminutive figure walking on the opposite sidewalk.

It was an elf by the looks. She threw back her hair revealing headphones on pointed ears. For a brief moment their eyes met, and all of his beard practically stood on end. Even though the glance wasn't haughty it sent shivers through him. And as his grandmother said, trust the hair. And from what his hair was saying, that girl was either very evil or a goblin. Three guesses which.

Before Mulch could shake off the shivers, he saw the woman following behind the girl. His hair now was standing on end. Carla Frazetti. Fortunately, she wasn't paying any attention to the girl or anything for that matter. She was talking rapidly on a cell phone, ushering her protégé along like a distracted puppy. His sensitive ears picked up some of Carla's conversation.

"Yes, it's him. He's in Chicago. Idiot," she hissed. Mulch was instantly worried, sweat running down his face. "He should have known that returning to us wasn't the best idea. And you better tell Spiro too. The boy will pay."

The fairy stiffened a little bit. It was easy to tell that the CD player wasn't on and Carla didn't know. Mulch had used that tactic himself more than once. But there was no time for reminiscing. It was clear that he wasn't the subject of the Mafia's anger. It was Artemis, and he was going to walk right into their arms if he were to arrive now. He'd have to warn him, and it'd have to be subtle.

Around the corner two figures emerged. One giant and one smaller. Mulch was worrying now. They were too far away for him to run and warn them. It'd attract the wrong attention. Another thought struck him; neither Artemis nor Butler would recognize Carla. To his horror, the small person waved right at Carla and the fairy girl.

"Hey Isabella!" a female voice called out. Mulch was shocked. Unless there was something Artemis hadn't told him, the figure approaching wasn't the boy genius. The giant stepped into the light, and it was definitely Butler. So where was Artemis, and who was the girl? Not Juliet, who, as he understood it, was pummeling a large amount of wrestlers.

The fairy Isabella waved back. "Hello Alexis!" After a glare from Carla, she added, "I can't talk right now, but I'll see you at the hotel!" And she was hurried off around the next corner.

"Okay, bye!" Alexis called back happily. That was when she spotted Mulch. For a moment her eyes clouded, and she was deep in memories. Her hand rushed to her shoulder, and she looked back at him in a new light.

"Hi."

**The Spiro Needle, Chicago**

Jon Spiro had spent a fair amount of time in prison and in an asylum since his break-in at the Phonetix headquarters. Luckily for him, none of his other crimes were discovered. The trial was a piece of cake. A brief coughing fit in the middle of his testimony and acting senile at choice moments got him off free as a bird. He returned to the Needle the next day. There was only one problem; a lot of his money had gone missing. But there was enough in 'special' banks for him to keep living comfortably.

He had recently been diagnosed with a chronic wasting disease, and unlike some men which have revelations upon facing death, he decided that he needed his revenge all the more sooner. For months he had planned on the perfect revenge, and it was wonderful. Once the plan was completed he just needed Artemis to come to Chicago.

He looked at the small object on his desk. It was a sleek black cube, and it looked like an awkward paper weight. And although it looked just like the C Cube that the Fowl boy had constructed, it was much more…deadly. All he needed to do was add the blue covering and then the plan would begin. But timing was everything.

First, he would 'invite' Artemis to the Needle. He would reveal the J Cube, claiming it was the boy's precious invention. He would demand and receive a king's ransom for it, and send the boy and box away in his private jet. The jet was actually remote controlled, but Artemis didn't need to know that. And there would be a terrible accident.

There was a beep emanating from his desk. He pushed a button on his phone.

"I said no disturbances."

"You have an urgent call, sir," a very nervous secretary stuttered. She knew that this disruption could cost her her job.

"No calls!" Jon almost shouted.

"It concerns an Artemis Fowl!" the secretary cried in hysterics. Later that day she resigned to take a less stressful job at a driving school.

"Patch it through now!" Good help is so hard to find, Jon thought as he heard the unfortunate woman fumble with the phone. He listened to the mobster on the phone, and by the end he was smiling so broadly his face seemed to age ten years.

Are any of you readers Alex Rider fans? I just got one of the books. Are they any good?


	7. From Trouble With Love

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Chapter 7: From Trouble with Love

**Chicago**

"I am going to kill Artemis Fowl!"

"Oh, don't think like that. All he did to you was neglect to tell you of an adventure you had with fairies. And that you were kidnapped. And that you almost died. You're not missing out on much," Mulch said, trying to bring humor to the situation. Alexis simply glared at him.

"How dare he keep my memories from me, that…loser," she finished lamely. "I know it was best for the People, but Alex is going to a private school this year, a boarding school!"

"He tried to restore your memories," Butler said calmly. "He didn't want to just tell you about the fairies, or you would have thought him to crazy."

"He should have tried harder! And the nerve, sending me with you to meet Mulch. Figured he'd get two birds with one stone. He is very lucky that you're his bodyguard." After a few minutes of silent ranting, Alexis faced the odd duo before her. "So, what is Artemis really doing in Chicago?"

"Let's just say he's an art lover," Mulch grinned, his large tombstone teeth yellow in the lamplight. Butler elbowed the dwarf, which sent Mulch sailing through the air. Dwarves hate flying of just about all types, especially if it's fast and high. Mulch's yell revealed that it was both.

"At the competition he saw Isabella, and now that your memories have returned, you should realize that she appears elfin. We contacted Holly and Mulch, and now he's here," Butler said, his face and voice impassive. There was no reason for Alexis to know about Artemis' criminal enterprises. If Artemis planned on telling her, then one day he would. But it was Artemis' secret, and Butler had no right to spread it.

"So, what, immigration is going to arrest her and take her to Haven? She's just…short. And has pointy ears. My ears are pointed, just not as prominently as hers," she argued. Isabella had become her friend over the short time they had known each other, but a friend was a friend. "Besides, you can't have a swarm of fairies run into a city like Chicago. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Someone would get a picture."

"That's why, when Holly and Julius arrive they will be little children out with their older brother and sister. That's you and Artemis," Mulch explained, a carrot in hand. Where it had come from Butler could only guess.

"And what, you play the eccentric short uncle? I doubt you'd pass for a child with that beard."

"It's Christmas in Chicago. It's cold. So little boys wear their collars high." In demonstration, Mulch lifted the collar of his overcoat, and it hid half his face.

"We should get back to the hotel before Artemis thinks something went wrong," Butler said. It was cold at night in the city, and he wasn't as tolerant of the weather as he had been.

"Alright. Do you want a piggyback ride?" Alexis offered to Mulch. "I give them to my little brother all the time."

"I am not a child!" he protested in a whiny voice.

"I know that. But do you want a ride or not?" Butler suppressed a chuckle. Over the brief time they had known each other, Mulch and Alexis had somehow bonded. Imagine Root's reaction to the convict befriending two geniuses. And there was a whole convention of them in the same hotel.

The trio slowly made their way back to the hotel, Mulch eventually giving in and letting Alexis carry him. It was a long trip for short legs. Butler hoped that Holly and Root would arrive soon. Perhaps they had contacted Artemis already. But there was the chance that the wool wasn't over their eyes and they had figured out about the heist. If anyone would think of that possibility, it would be Foaly's brain with Root's intuition.

**Police Plaza**

Foaly was equipping Trouble Kelp with a few extra weapons and headpieces. Things were slow in Haven, so no one would notice a piece missing here or there. Sool had jumped at the chance of catching Mulch breaking the law, Mud Men or fairy. If he could connect it to Fowl, that was just icing on the mud pie. Erasing the Mud Boy's mind was a top priority. All he needed was a reason. And he was also getting Golden Elf out of the way for a day.

Fortunately there was a flare due, so Trouble was riding the hotshots. And Foaly had managed to 'help' Holly and Root's visa check early. The would arrive in Chicago a few hours after Trouble. Not bad for a day's work, Foaly mused.

A couple of techs scurried around as Foaly helped Trouble load the pod with the extra packs. It wobbled a bit, making Trouble a little nervous. The brain fluid that was still a stain on the headrest didn't help the feeling at all.

"Weren't you supposed to retire this pod two years ago?" he asked. The centaur flushed.

"That was just Holly's wishful thinking. Nope, this baby will stay until there's a fatality. Or until a referendum passes. With Sool it's doubtful. This pod hasn't even been properly serviced for a while now."

"Thanks for the boost in confidence," Trouble said, climbing into the pod. He could only hope that there were no pressure leaks. The last elf caught in a leak couldn't drink liquids for a month.

The pod rocked as it was moved to the chute entrance. He put the rubber in his mouth, and awaited Foaly's instructions.

"Okay, flare is one hundred seventy-five yards off. Drop in five, four, three, two, go!" The process was both scary and exhilarating. "It's a force six!" Foaly exclaimed. Trouble started to sweat as the pod hit the flare. He quickly activated the fins.

Force six, pretty powerful stuff. But Holly had used this pod before the first Fowl incident. That had been a force seven from what he'd heard. This was weaker, but so was the pod. A few years without proper check-ups and a powerful flare was not a good combination.

The bucket of bolts was completely encased in magma, pelted by the almost solid chunks of rock. Fifteen seconds left, then he'd be in the clear. There was a giant scraping noise. Not good. Ten seconds. The entire pod was shaking violently. A bolt fell in front of his face, landing in his lap. Definitely not good. Five seconds…and…thermals!

He nudged the joystick and put on the thrusters. If he hadn't been so shaken by the experience, he would have been proud of his new record of getting from the chute to the clamps. He was more concerned of getting out of the pod before it disintegrated. Trouble grabbed all the packs and hopped out, just as a large panel of the pod fell off.

"Foaly, remind me to kick you when I get back," he said halfheartedly into the mike. Foaly didn't respond, but in the Ops Booth some techs claimed that Foaly was in the bathroom for the whole of Trouble's flight. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Foaly saw the broken pod, and from past experience with a certain female elf, he intuitively placed a hand on his hindquarters. He hoped that there was a lot of action to distract the major in Chicago, because the last thing he needed was a pain in the butt. No pun intended.

Hey guys. I need names for my delegates. Please donate a few.

And yes, Trouble gets the mission.


	8. Walking in the Air

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer. The title of this chapter is a beautiful song. Listen to it!

Because of school, updating might take a while. For those of you that didn't read my first AF fic, Alexis has met the People. She was mind-wiped afterwards.

Chapter 8: Walking in the Air

**Chicago**

Artemis sat in Butler's hotel room. In his pacing of the room he frequently glanced out the window at the dark street below. Any moment Butler should be returning with Alexis and Mulch. Since he knew he had enemies in Chicago, he had decided to remain in the hotel until the situation cleared somewhat.

He let out a low sigh. He really wished he hadn't needed to bring Alexis into this. She of course deserved her memories, but there was the chance that Mulch wouldn't trigger a total recall. And there was the chance that he would. Due to the situation with Isabella, he needed fairy help. And if there was a situation with Spiro, he would need some human help. Alexis was human, his friend, and had experience with the People. She was perfect, as long as she wasn't mad.

There was a knock on the door. Artemis was immediately cautious. It could simply be room service that arrived at the wrong room. It could be someone under orders of Jon Spiro. Or worse, it could be the egotistical Enrique.

"_Senor? _Room service?" Artemis stifled a laugh. It was possibly the worst Spanish accent he had ever heard. Which meant that it wasn't Enrique or the actual room service, which wouldn't use a fake accent. One option left.

Before Artemis could react the knob started to turn. He looked for a place to hid. There was none. The bed frame reached the floor, and the armoire was too small. He went out on the balcony, pushing the curtains inside the room to cover him. Holding on to the railing, he leaned over, looking through a slit in the curtain. Two men had entered the room, wearing staff uniforms and pushing a covered cart. One man was wiry with sandy blonde hair. In his hand he held a metal contraption, one that Artemis recognized as a lock pick. The other man pulled the cover off the cart, revealing a cage and rope. A metal man and a monkey. Artemis suppressed a shudder at the Mafia terminology.

How did they know he was here? This wasn't even his assigned room. He groaned inwardly. It seemed that he made a mistake when he booked Butler's room under the pseudonym Sir E. Brum. He had written several texts under that name, and someone had figured out the connection. On any other day he would berate himself and think of a better alias, but today was about survival.

"Where's the kid?" the metal man asked. He flicked the ruff on the beds up, checking for Artemis.

"How should I know? I ain't his mother." This earned the monkey a clout on the ear.

"Just keep looking and keep your mouth shut, Logan." That was when the metal man noticed the balcony. While the monkey went into the bathroom, he slowly crossed the room towards the sliding door. Artemis looked around, worried. He realized he had left the door open a quarter of an inch. Some wouldn't notice it, but a trained hit man would. The balcony was bare, so there was no coverage to use. The only option was to get off the balcony, to another room. But there was ten feet between him and the next platform. There was no way he could make the distance smoothly. Perhaps he could hang onto the bottom of this terrace until the men left.

That would lead to more problems. The people in the room below might wonder why there was a teenage boy hanging outside their window. Perhaps the darkness would hid him. He was wearing a black suit. The man was about to open the door.

There was a crash from inside. The metal man turned, distracted. Logan stepped out of the bathroom, half wrapped in the shower curtain, the font in his hand. He was dripping wet.

"Hey, uh, Danny, the faucets are broken." As Danny proceeded to berate his partner, Artemis climbed on top of the railing. He gripped the side of the building for support. Straining his eyes, he tried to see if there were any handholds. There was nothing on the smooth façade. The other balcony seemed much closer now. Artemis considered it. Perhaps he could grip the rail and hide hanging. There was a low rumble, and to his dismay, it started to rain.

"Hey!" The metal man, Danny, was on the balcony, and lunged. Artemis twisted, letting go of his wall lifeline. The hand missed, but now the rail was slick. Artemis knew he was going to fall or be captured by these men if he didn't do something. There was a flash of lightening, and he saw his shadow garishly spread on the building. There was another shadow as well. So, Artemis knew what he had to do. He jumped. He heard the yells behind him, but paid them no heed. He was being pulled through the air by invisible hands. It was strange, as if time had stopped. Then he was dropped back to reality on the slippery floor of a different balcony.

"Go!" Artemis ripped the door open, and entered the empty room. He had to go quickly before Danny and mike realized where he was. Once he got into the hallway, he started walking down the hallway, away from Butler's room. There was a sign for the stairwell. He quickly leaned against the door, opening it as slowly and quietly as possible. His shoes squeaked and made all manner of disgusting noises as they tried to grip the stairs. He had gone down two flights when there was a yell above him. It was the monkey. All secrecy lost, Artemis flew down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.

A door was in front of him and he threw it open and hurtled down the new hallway towards the elevators. One of the arrows flashed red, the arrow pointing down. No one else was waiting. Once the door opened enough for him to fit, he darted in. The last thing he saw was Danny's surprised face and grin.

Trouble Kelp surveyed the hotel in front of him. For a genius, Fowl could sure be an idiot. But in fairness, he had been cornered on a tenth floor balcony by two macho men. And the kid had seen his shadow. And Holly owed him one for all this. At least it wasn't Butler, Trouble shivered. No way he would have been able to carry that Mud Man.

He hovered for a few more minutes, shielded in the rain. Rainstorms were one of the times fairies would skip topside the most, their shields looking like more hazy weather ahead. Visibility was already bad, and Mud Men only saw what they wanted to see.

Hitting a switch, Trouble's vision transformed into reds and blues. One red blob, presumably Artemis, was running down a stairwell, another blob on top of him. Artemis wasn't very fast, and the man was gaining. Right as Artemis left the stairwell, the man collapsed on the stairs, falling past the landing. The Mud Boy kept running, and Trouble saw what Fowl didn't see. A red shape in the elevator.

"D'Arvit," he cursed. The boy had gotten himself captured. The heat vision showed that he wasn't bleeding, just unconscious. But there was nothing he could do about it because of the Book. It was time to find the LEP's favorite reprobate.


	9. Gone

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

SO sorry this took so long! School has me swamped!

Chapter 9: Gone

**Chicago**

Mulch felt his beard stiffen as he approached the grand hotel. He looked to either side, scanning the sidewalk. No one. He cast a reflexive glance skyward, checking for LEP on wings, but the umbrella Butler was holding blocked his view. Whatever it had been, Butler's soldier sense was on alert as well.

"Stop squirming or I'll have to put you down!" Alexis chastised. "You're not exactly light, even with your stature."

"No need to insult me," Mulch bristled. Butler moved the umbrella as Alexis swayed, trying to look the dwarf in the eyes.

"I said I'd put you down. Never said how." The trio stopped outside the hotel doors, and the umbrella shut with a snap. Butler stepped through, holding the door for Alexis. She hesitated.

"Don't you need an invitation?" Mulch laughed harder than he ever had in nearly a century after an incident with Julius and a very angry chicken.

"Whoa, that was good. Dearie, I haven't needed an invitation for a good four hundred years." He wiped his eyes as Alexis went forward towards the elevators, drawing looks from the concierge and the wait staff. No one, except Butler, noticed the two men sneak out the front doors with a covered cart. He saw them turn and disappear into the storm before the elevator doors closed. The lights started to beep as the platform lifted. Mulch dropped to the floor, and saw a shining object. As the Mud Men disembarked, he snatched the object without looking at it. A cell phone, from the nineties. Probably lost on purpose.

Scurrying down the hall, he found Butler and Alexis frozen at the door. He peeked inside, and nearly lost his composure as well. The balcony door was open, the drapes twisting in the wind. There was standing water in the bathroom, and the bed sheets had been ripped off. Someone was in a hurry, searching for something. Artemis wasn't there, so they must have found it.

Butler immediately began checking the room himself, looking for clues of his charge's whereabouts. Alexis whipped her cell phone out and a series of numbers in a rapid succession. A faint series of beeps came from the balcony. Had Butler's blood not been pounding in his head, he would have recognized that it was a rendition of Vivaldi's _Four Seasons._ The table on the terrace was overturned, and there was a faint blue pulse in a niche on the table. So Artemis had planned something.

Taking the tiny technology into his hands, he flipped the top. Mulch came onto the balcony as well, and Alexis hung in the door. With dread, Butler read the text message Artemis sent himself.

BTLR

MNKY & MTLMN MFIA

WHT C W/ CRT

FR

That was where it ended. No doubt that was when he had been taken and the table overturned. He had seen those men. Now he had to find those men. The question was how.

Mulch lightly took the phone and allowed Alexis to read over his shoulder. Butler looked over the railing, hoping to see the men still on the walkway. He knew it was in vain.

"Mafia, eh? No problem." Butler turned on the speaker. Mulch shied under his gaze. "I worked for them, remember? They should have the same major hangs."

"But they think you're dead," Butler replied, trying to come up with a plan. "We need a way to trace them without being seen, since both of us are supposed to be dead."

"This is much better than a soap," Alexis said to herself, wishing she had some popcorn. She coughed and spoke up. "Wouldn't the guy…horse…man horse who erased my memories know the location of Mafia members? He had a pretty sweet computer and a tin foil hat. If he's paranoid, he'd keep track on the Mafia."

"You're right, but we need a specific group. And--" Butler stopped, because Mulch's pants were shaking and emitting an insistent ringing. With the look of a guilty child, Mulch pulled out his prize from the elevator. He was about to push the answer button when Butler snatched it away.

"Hey--" The giant manservant just ignored Mulch's protests, studying the phone.

"If we had some more technology, we could trace this call and find Artemis."

"The only problem is, to triangulate the call, we need Artemis."

"So am I just nothing then?" The amplified voice seemed to come from nowhere, until Holly Short appeared on the railing. "Give me the phone."

Once the bulky thing was in her hands, she attached a cord to it, that relayed into her stolen LEP helmet. If anyone asked, Trouble had lost it. Which was why he had brought three.

"Foaly, do you have the signal yet?" There was an insulted whine on the other side of the headset.

"I had it eons ago sweetheart. It's coming two blocks north of the Spiro Needle. A lot of activity is going on there." There was some static on the line, and then a different voice.

"Sool is looking around, so I'm your communiqué for now," Julius Root's voice was like static over the speakers. "Try to get Artemis before they enter the Needle, or any dwelling, got it?"

"Yessir," Holly cut off the line. She opened her visor. "The hit men are right outside the Needle. We should get there before they're inside."

"What did you find out about Isabella?" Butler asked, trying to be casual in the surreal scene.

"She has some fairy and goblin blood in her, but more Mud Blood. Unless she's running hot, she can't use too much magic."

Mulch was remembering his encounter on the street. He'd known that they were looking for a fairy girl, but he had been more worried about Carla Frazetti.

"I think she's the reason Artemis was captured!" Mulch realized. "She was with Carla Frazetti earlier, you remember. Carla works for Spats Antonellis. She might have been a ploy or--"

"Spats Antonellis? That's Isabella's uncle. She went to visit him after a small row with Artemis," Alexis said. "This isn't good."

"Holly, meet us outside the lobby. We'll go to the Needle, and get Artemis back. We need a plan," Butler explained hurriedly, ushering Alexis and Mulch inside towards the elevators. Holly zipped to the ground and hid in some trees. There, Major trouble Kelp was also hiding.

"Thanks for the heads up on the situation," she said quickly, eying the doors for Mulch.

"No problem. Why couldn't Root make it?"

"All of his papers aren't up to date. He was almost taken into custody at the station because the computer records say he is still dead. Even with all his ID they wouldn't let him through."

"Wasn't Foaly supposed to do all that?"

"Yes he was," Root's voice came over both sets of helmet speakers. "So Trouble, if Holly needs back-up--"

"I'm on it sir. But what if it means revealing myself to Diggums?"

"Knock him out." And Root silenced the connection. Trouble gave Holly a look.

"You owe me big for all this."

"No, because I've saved your neck more than you've saved mine. You still owe me." trouble rolled his eyes and shielded. Holly turned and saw Mulch walking out the front doors, followed by the two Mud Men.

"Here goes," she whispered, and shielded, following the trio at a hover.

My next chapter might take a while, hopefully not as long as this one took!


	10. Two Ships

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Feel free to yell at me. Each chapter seems to take longer and longer…

Chapter 10: Two Ships

**Streets of Chicago**

The first thing to go through Artemis' head when he regained consciousness was hope that Butler had found his message. His second was that of escape. He was still in the small cage, but no longer on the cart. From the movements he could tell that he was in a car, and it seemed to be driving in a slow circle. Typical Mafia.

In the front seat there were two men grumbling, no doubt his captors. Barely moving his head, Artemis listened in.

"I lost my phone," one whined.

"Call it. Someone will pick it up."

"Okay." Silence. Then, "How do I call my cell phone if I don't have a cell phone?"

"Idiot! Use mine." Some fumbling and the van swerved, forcing Artemis against the far wall of his mobile prison. The car swerved again and there was honking from outside. Artemis tried to sit up, but his arms were tied securely behind him. He managed to gain some leverage by pushing up against the bars and surveyed the van. Surprisingly, it was a minivan.

The cage was latched down, and the top part could be seen through the windows, which weren't even tinted. Any onlooker would think it was simply a dog kennel in the vehicle. But if those on the street could look in, Artemis could look out. There were stores all around them, and the sounds from pedestrians was overpowering. It was easy to understand that the van was slowly making its way to Spiro Needle. They were no more than a few blocks away.

Craning his head, Artemis managed to see the driver and passenger seats, and there was a small gap in-between. There was a clock radio installed, one way too advanced to have come with the minivan. It read eight forty-four. It had been ten minutes since he was taken, and he could only hope that his rescuers were already on their way. Until then, he'd try to get himself out. If he was brought to Spiro Needle he would need invitations for Holly and Root. And they would have to be from Jon Spiro, who was in jail, to the most of his knowledge. And there was always the chance that he would be taken to some warehouse.

A brighter thought entered his mind. If he _was_ taken to the Needle, then he could have all the fairy assistance he needed. Spiro's invitation from his first visit would still stand. But why would he be taken to Spiro's company when Jon was still in jail? Unless he had gotten out…

Better not to find out. Artemis began searching the floor with his diligent eyes, hoping that these men had been stupid enough to leave a toolbox, anything, that could help him escape. Then Artemis saw it.

**Main Street Square, Chicago**

**Despite the winter chill, many families of all assortments were wandering around, looking at ice sculptures and the frantic last minute Christmas shoppers. One family stuck out from the rest; a large man escorting his three small children around, looking in at the impressive window displays and toting their shopping bags. The children were completely bundled up, and no one would have guessed that smallest of the three "kids" were fairies. And the shopping bags contained an assortment of LEP weaponry. But people only saw what they wanted to see. **

Anyone looking at the tallest child would have thought she was playing a handheld game. She was actually studying the location of a cell phone signal. Alexis surrendered to a quick shiver, raising her eyes of the pixel screen. They were getting closer.

"Well?" Three sets of eyes were set on her, and with two below and one above she had no idea where to look.

"The call came from this intersection. Then we're on our own." Holly reached into one of the bags and pulled out a headset. She stepped behind Butler, his body shielding her from all eyes.

"So, Foaly, what have we got?"

"The call came from a phone registered to Daniel Barter. He has a criminal record, and is suspected in a lot of Mafia activities. And he owns two vehicles legally."

"Tell me."

"Whatever happened to manners? One is a blue Crave, and the other is a magenta minivan. Both plates are DNYMN and DNYMN2. Personal plates. And easily recognizable cars." There was a tapping and a few clicks from the other end of the speakers. "I accessed security cameras from the intersection stoplight. A minivan just went by seven minutes ago. And it shows up again, one block north, three minutes ago."

"Thanks Foaly, got to go." She joined the group again, and told them what she knew.

"But that means they passed the Needle," a perplexed Butler managed.

"And it means they just passed us," Alexis said. She pointed, and they saw the street sign. "We just missed them."

"Then let's find them already."

**Spiro Needle**

Jon Spiro was not a patient man. Especially since his time was now limited. He glared over at Carla.

"Where are they?" his voice was a low whisper, slicing through the silence.

"They should have been here by now. I don't understand it. The instructions were simple enough."

"So two idiots are with my prize? Lost in the streets?" Carla didn't answer, and thankfully a new figure entered the room before Jon could yell at her some more. Isabella Antonellis looked at the two suspiciously. She glanced at her watch, hoping it was nine. That was when the Christmas Eve party was going to begin. And she wouldn't be left with this severe woman anymore. All she had even been told was that they were making a quick stop before the festivities, a quick errand. She had been her at least twenty minutes.

"What are we waiting for? I don't think Uncle Spats would appreciate our being late," she snapped.

"All in good time, girl," Spiro said, staring at the streets with a strange longing, a hunger that couldn't be fulfilled. "As you get older, you have to wait for more. But it is all worth it."

Again, so sorry this took so long! Yell at me all you like via reviews. I won't be offended…much.


	11. Civil Wars

0isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

This chapter took a long time, sorry about that. A lot of stuff going on. Places to go…People to see…This chapter is a bit repetitive, you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 11: Civil Wars

**Police Plaza, Haven**

Julius Root chewed the end of his fungus cigar. The putrid thing wasn't lit, for the sake of the computers and the techs. The situation before him was unfolding in the most unexpected ways. And he was stuck down here, unable to help. And he was trapped with Foaly.

Fortunately the centaur had taken a break to get a carrot. The one-time commander looked at the flashing amp of Chicago, a light pulse traveling along the streets, followed by two smaller pixels of light. Holly and Trouble following the van that held Artemis Fowl captive. A race to the Spiro Needle that they couldn't afford to loose.

"We're lucky that those drivers are as dumb as commanders," Foaly chuckled, a carrot in hand. He pointed at the plasma screen with it. "They're actually heading _away_ from their destination."

Root ignored the centaur, and his comment. The largest blip had turned around, heading straight for the tower. He leaned over, quickly pushing a few buttons. As Foaly started to reprimand him, Holly's voice came over the airwaves.

"What is it?"

"They're heading right for the Needle. I don't think they're lost anymore," Root warned. "If you want to get to Artemis before it's too late, better take the next left and then--"

"No, take a right and then go straight for two blocks. There's an alley that'll take you right to it," Foaly ignored Root's smoldering glare. It wasn't his fault the elf couldn't tell left from right.

"I recommend that you hurry. Be sure to kick any dwarf that falls behind," Root called. He left the speaker on as the screen flickered with the sudden activity. Speaking of which, where had all those annoying lab gnomes gone to? Normally he couldn't go two steps without stepping on one.

As if reading his mind, Foaly quipped, "Not many techs on staff at this time of night. Graveyard shift is leaving while the dawn crew is starting to get up. We won't be interrupted for a while."

Both turned their attention fully to the plasma screen. It was amazing all the trouble they had gone through because of Artemis Fowl. If it hadn't been for his kidnapping of Holly, Cudgeon would never have been demoted, would never have joined Opal Koboi, and would never have started a revolution. Artemis was the cause of the most human interaction the People had with the Mud Men in four hundred years. And even then it hadn't been to this expense. There were two, no, three, Mud Men with knowledge of the People. Artemis, Butler, and now Alexis. Maybe even four, depending on if Butler had clued in his little sister Juliet. This was all getting out of hand.

"Almost there…" Foaly murmured, typing up security cameras to try to see the situation. One dot was at the destination. The other two were dead close.

"Holly, what's happening?"

"We're at the Needle," the elf panted. "We can't see the van yet--" There was some noise from the other end, leaving Foaly and Root straining their ears.

"D'arvit! They just took Artemis into the Needle!" Root and Foaly shared a rare, somber glance. It was game over. There was no invitation. It would just be Butler, Alexis, and Mulch going in. Root gave a sigh. Foaly, however, was slightly more hopeful. He started accessing archives with brilliant speed.

"Aha! A loophole!"

"What are you talking about? There are no loopholes in the Book--"

"Not in the Book." He pointed at the screen. Before him was the record from the first Spiro case. It was a file that Foaly was supposed to have deleted. The centaur ignored the commander. "The last time Spiro got involved, he allowed Artemis to bring all the fairy friends he wanted. There are no limitations to the invitation. Simple really."

"You have to be kidding me--"

"He's smart, I doubt he is." A voice said. The duo turned slowly. Commander Ark Sool was standing in the doorway of the Ops Booth. "What have I here?"

**Spiro Needle, Chicago**

"D'arvit! They just took Artemis into the Needle!" Holly spat into the headset. It had gotten darker, so she could conceal the headphones in her hood. This ruined everything. Without an invitation, Mulch was the only fairy help Artemis was going to get.

There was what seemed to be a loud burst of static as Root fumed, but over it she could hear Foaly dashing along the keyboard. "Aha! A loophole!"

"What are you talking about? There are no loopholes in the Book--" Foaly cut off the ex-commander.

"Not in the Book. The last time Spiro got involved, he allowed Artemis to bring all the fairy friends he wanted. There are no limitations to the invitation. Simple really."

"You have to be kidding me--"

"I really don't think it works that way, but we can give it a shot. Maybe there aren't expiration dates--" But suddenly there was only static. "Foaly? Commander? D'arvit…" Holly pulled off the headset, stuffing it into a pocket. She looked to Mulch and the Mud Men. "I guess we're on our own now."

"Do we have a plan?" Alexis whispered.

"That's Arty's job," Mulch quipped. Holly and Butler rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"So, we need Artemis to make a plan on how to rescue Artemis. That'll be easy," Alexis said, her voice rich with sarcasm. "Maybe we just have to think like Artemis."

"You mean like a fifteen year old genius? Who knows what teenagers are thinking." Holly said dryly.

"How did he escape last time?"

"He made a plan before he was captured. Then he allowed for Mulch to bring him in and they went from there," Butler added. "There is a chance that we could execute parts of that plan again, at least for getting into the building."

"That would work. We have two sets of wings, so it could work. But," Holly raised a finger, "we don't know where they're holding him. I doubt it will be where he was held before."

"We fly up to the roof, and work our way down. If we get security footage we can find the blind spots and even where he is," Mulch suggested.

"One of your best ideas to date. Except we lost our connection," Holly said, indicating her headset.

"So we go in blind. Like before.." Butler trailed off. He meant to say _before you fairies came around_, but decided it would be rude. And they hadn't come willingly. It had all been Artemis.

"Ah, how is flying going to work?" Alexis asked. She had yet to see the wings in action, and was curious as to how they would work.

"You and I will fly. I'll take Mulch up first. Then we'll both take Butler."

"But I don't know how to fly! Can't Mulch do it?" At the mention of his name, the dwarf paled significantly. Most dwarves were born with a mild case of vertigo, some being more extreme than others. They had been made for being underground, not hundreds of feet above it. Alexis saw this, and didn't push the subject. "And Butler can't because…?"

"Wings were meant for the People. We're all about three feet. Butler is a bit big for these. I'll give you a crash course."

I'll try my best to get 12 up soon. At least quicker than this one.


	12. Needle and Dead

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Sorry, my mom took away my computer privileges because of a B- in Spanish. Please be patient!

Chapter 12: Needle and Dead

**Spiro Needle, Chicago**

On his first visit to the Spiro Needle, Artemis Fowl had been locked into what appeared to be a master suite at a five star hotel. He had also managed to escape and reclaim his invention from Jon Spiro. This time, it didn't look like either scenario would be possible.

Hauled in through the main entrance, his captors rearranged their grip on him. No doubt so that security wouldn't believe a boy was being brought in forcibly. Even though Spiro had regained control of his company, he was still a felon, and the police sent him officers that just wouldn't be bribed. All covert operations had to be kept as quiet as possible. So, despite the fact that he could easily run over to the nearest security terminal and be free, the gun barrel cooling his neck told him there would be nom escape. That, and the fact that he was certain a bug had been planted on his person. If he managed to escape without being killed they would find him again. Luckily, he was forming a plan, and had all the tools he would need.

His captors led him to a small section of wall, just around the first corner. To anyone else, the hallway was a dead end with a few cleaning supplies. To Spiro's 'special' friends, it was an express elevator. One of the men, Danny, walked over to a section of wall that was slightly off color from the rest of the hallway. He pressed into the side, and a door swung out, revealing a small elevator, big enough for one to two people.

"So long kid," the other man said, throwing Artemis into the elevator.

"And enjoy your stay at the Spiro Needle!" The two men laughed and walked away, the doors closing. Artemis looked around the elevator and realized that there were no buttons or other usual lift necessities. It was more like a solitary confinement room. There was the faintest noise, and the doors began to open. In a matter of seconds the elevator had risen without him knowing. Whatever his final destination, he was already there.

"Why Arty, hello. It has been such a long time. How have you been fairing?" Jon Spiro smiled at the boy genius, opening his arms wide in welcome. "I hope you've been doing better than I have. After spending time in prison, an asylum, and learning that I will die in a few short months has really dampened my spirits. But I only hold you accountable for those first two counts." He went over to his desk and sat down, motioning for Artemis to do the same. Reluctantly, the boy did.

"But now tell me, how did you escape from me that day? How did you reattach my cousin's thumb? Blindside by workers, make my bodyguard confess? More importantly, how did yours survive being shot almost in the heart?"

"All fair questions, Jon," Artemis said calmly. He seemed to be relaxing in chair, even though his breathing was quickening. He had absolutely no control in this situation, and it was making him very uneasy and downright nervous. "I have a few of my own. Such as how you appear to be out of prison now, even though, as you said, Arno Blunt confessed to everything. Even more amazing, how are you not in an asylum still? The control of your company is evident, so you don't appear to be suffering financially. What happened in the courts?"

"Well, I'll answer if you do as well. And all truth now. How is Butler alive? Unless he had an identical twin out there, you found a very good look-a-like." Spiro acted calm when he asked, showing no sign of anticipation. Artemis thought quickly, knowing that the wrong answer could end his life.

"Of course, I had Butler wear a bullet-proof vest. But," Artemis continued, seeing Spiro open his mouth to interrupt, "the Teflon on the bullet and the proximity was too powerful for a normal Kevlar vest. However, when your bodyguard reported on mine's death, you forgot two very important facts; one, he is a Butler. And two, I am Artemis Fowl. Butler has been shot before, and this was by far not the worst he's had. Also, the vest was made by me. A second lead layer in the vest and fake blood bags as well. If the vest was punctured it would seem that Butler was bleeding. In reality he was fine, but knocked out by the force. Simple really."

"Yes. I did think it was too good that a single shot would kill him. But I still hoped that maybe there was some secret. For my own sake, of course."

"Of course," Artemis agreed. He was a little surprised that Spiro bought it. "And now it is my turn. Why are you not in prison?"

"Well, I did spend some time there before the trial. But I have many friends that would never have passed the bar without some financial aid on my part. It was simply friends looking out or each other. And the fact that, during the proceedings I had a terrible cough, realistic tears, and some unfortunate senile moments won sympathy from the jurors and judges, all of which were over sixty. The opposing lawyers had to ask the questions very loud, since I temporarily lost hearing in my left ear, and it sounded an awful lot like they were shouting at me. I was very upset by the ordeal. I was found innocent on all charges, save one count of breaking and entering. But I stole nothing, and served a year in an asylum as penance. But after that year I've been wetly rebuilding my corporation." He paused, and took a drink of a vile looking liquid. "My medication, you see. Again, your turn. How did you turn my workers against me? That duo, Pex and Chips. They weren't the brightest, but loyal."

"Well, before they entered your service, they were on a different payroll. In Langley. "Artemis was maintaining an aura of calm. Ever since regaining his memories, Artemis had devised this story. Along with several others, he had hoped none of them would be needed. But it could make Spiro loose his confidence.

"Langley? As in Virginia, the headquarters of the CIA? How could they--?" But Artemis raised a hand, and was rewarded with silence.

"This whole ordeal was arranged by the CIA. Don't you remember when we went to lunch? The C Cube traced a satellite, registered to the Central Intelligence Agency. You even said you thought they were tracking you. Before our first meeting, I was approached by Chips and Pex. The CIA wanted to capture you, and I was happy to help, for a fee. Why else would I have approached _you _with my offer of suppressing the technology? Pex and Chips worked for you, undercover agents. They were meant to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. But the plan went awry, as most do. Otherwise, you would be in jail now for kidnapping me."

"But I was never charged with that. There was no proof and I sounded crazy when I claimed to have kidnapped you, which I stopped doing after the first hour in custody. Why use you, a child?" Spiro was sounding desperate as the plot seemed to unravel. Artemis was tempted to smile. His little story of conspiracy was really getting to Spiro.

"The reason the CIA wanted to use me, was so that they could use Butler, who had done dealings with them before. They didn't want me though, only Butler. But I insisted after showing them my inventions and knowledge. Any other child would have been flabbergasted by anything technological that you said. I would be able to maintain conversation with you, not pausing to listen to some CIA expert tell me what to say. I was a perfect subject for capturing you. And, seeing as I am not American, they wouldn't be infringing on any laws. If something happened and I was killed, the CIA could not be held responsible. Endangering the life of a US citizen is off-limits to even them." Artemis let out a sigh, and shook his head. "It was a brilliant plan, I even helped devise it. But somehow, MI6 or some other UK intelligence agency found out what I was being used for, and they stepped in at the last moment, 'rescuing' me from Phonetix. The CIA was enraged, because now their star witness couldn't testify, as I was detained for six months in Ireland. And the organization that took me made a deal that there would be no record of me in any of the plot. I was erased from security cameras, and my communication was monitored so I couldn't tell anyone. Except for you, all parties involved lost."

The two were silent, Artemis allowing the information to sink in. After a minute, Jon nodded. "It does make sense. It explains every open end. And, it shows how badly they wanted to put me away. Involving a child, even one that was smart enough and had volunteered, more or less, was very risky on their part. All that work, to capture little old me. I'm honored." He let out a fake sniffle, and laughed. "My boy, I owe you a thank you. If you had simply not gotten involved, and let your butler do his job, I would no doubt be I dead or in prison. But you probably thought you would be such the little hero, putting away such a bad man like me. Instead, you kept me out." Spiro began to laugh again, and Artemis did his best to redden his face, to act ashamed of the truth. "All this time, I wondered how a mere child could beat me. But now I know that you didn't. You were helped all along the way. Pex and Chips did everything. You just played the lead. But don't think you're off the hook. You still helped; you are a very smart boy, if you came up with the plan. There is nothing I can do to stop the CIA, they are just too powerful. But you, you I can."

With a theatric motion, he pulled out a small object from a drawer. It was the C Cube. Artemis was surprised. Or at least he seemed so. The Cube was down in Haven, and there was no way even Jon Spiro could get down there. Somehow, Spiro must have known.

"The S Cube. Or the S Box. Or whatever the hell I want to call it. Either way, the name is not important. I made it myself, as I'm sure you know. Your Cube was a fake, wasn't it?" The man stared down at Artemis, standing at full height, even though with his bad back Spiro was not nearly as imposing as ten years before.

"Yes," Artemis was quiet now, glancing at his shoes, acting defeated. "The CIA supplied it. My inventions were fine, but their Cube was the key. It wasn't called the C Cube because it could see everything. It was the CIA's Cube. It even read the CIA satellite. I thought you'd catch on. Guess I was wrong. It was my personal way of testing your intelligence." After a glare from Spiro, Artemis continued in a meek manner. "Every tape in the restaurant was programmed into the Cube, and the two satellites. If it had just read the one you would have demanded more. So it gave you two then I had to shut it off. The eternity code was a joke as well. It was programmed to replay the information recorded on it. When I worked on it, I set up a link to a different file, which unlocked the capabilities of artificial intelligence and surveillance. It began doing as programmed. All the other functions I told you about, they were all made up. The Cube had only two programs, for stages one and two of the operation."

Spiro looked deeply disappointed, almost physically injured. The idea of all the possible riches was gone, and he would have to settle for less. But his own Cube gave him comfort.

"This box also has only one program." He walked around the desk, and dropped it into Artemis's hands. "It's the Kill Fowl file. The rest of the office is programmed to Lock Down, and all the hidden cameras are set to Tape Fowl's Demise. The Cube will go off in ten minutes. If you disable it, then you will live for five more minutes. Then all the air ventilation will shut off on this floor. I doubt you will last more than two minutes at most. But just in case, after those two minutes, well, that part I'll keep to myself." He smiled, and went over to his elevator. "Good-bye, Arty."

Again, sorry about my inability to use FF. It really wasn't by choice. Yell at me if you like. I'll do my best to update again.


	13. Praises Of Foaly

-1Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Chapter 13: Praises of Foaly

**Spiro Needle**

Butler felt older than he ever should. The past sixteen years had been the strangest of his life. Twelve were spent practically babysitting. The last four he was getting his full paycheck. He had felt completely in control of all physical aspects of Artemis's plans. Now it looked as if the nearly insane yet completely genius plans would end. Artemis himself had said 'If I win I'm a prodigy. If I lose, then I'm crazy.'. Artemis had always been right. He was always three steps ahead. But now, with no invitations and no back-up, it looked like Artemis might finally be crazy. And if that was the case, he would loose more than dignity.

'Look, a helicopter!" Alexis pointed at the dark speck against the skyline. "Do you think it's him?"

"It could be a lure. Spiro wouldn't risk his defenses being brought down again. He might think that anyone trying to help Artemis will follow the chopper, only to bring them to a dead-end." Butler relived an old memory. "Or, he could be in there, and they know we can't know for sure."

"Well, we do have two sets of wings," Mulch said, turning away from the darkened sky. Even though it was night, the dwarf was sometimes wary of the sunless sky. There were sensitive dwarfs that could get burned from moonlight, which was, after all, reflected sunlight.

"What are you suggesting?" Holly said, returning from the bushes. She had left all the unnecessary equipment there, and had also a quick conversation with the hidden major there.

"I thought one of you two with wings could follow the helicopter, in case it had our boy," Mulch said, feeling proud of his plan. Holly's expression changed his mind.

"And who would have gone? The Mud Girl that can't shield and can barely fly? Or me, leaving you all to get into the Needle with a Mud Girl that can't fly?" Mulch blushed. "We'll just have to hope he isn't there," Holly continued. "We'll know soon enough." As the others looked back at the disappearing helicopter, Holly signaled for Trouble. She used an LEP code signal for 'Follow sprite suspect'. Only, the 'sprite' was a helicopter. He would understand.

"Is everyone hooked up?" Holly checked the belt that connected her to Mulch and Butler. Alexis was hooked up to Butler's other side. There were a couple of responses from the Mud Men, but Mulch stayed quiet. His eyes were shut tight, and he was whispering a nursery rhyme under his breath as he awaited lift-off.

"Which is the '**on' **button? Alexis asked, her voice shaking, not from fear nor anticipation, but from nervousness. This was why LEP cadets spent hours in the simulators trying to learn how to overcome vertigo.

"The large green one that says 'ON'. You'll be fine." Butler gave a little snort, and rechecked his harness on Holly's side. "Just ease on the thruster until right before we reach the landing pad. Then _slowly_ close the throttle. Alright? Let's go."

"Wait!" Mulch yelled, right before Holly could take off. It turned out to be a good thing that he had yelled, because Alexis hadn't reached her button yet and the whole party would simply have crashed. "Why the landing pad?"

"It's the top of the building, and has a door in." was the cool response.

"But do we even know where Artemis _is_?" Everyone froze. "What if he was still on the first floor, and we had to work our way past security on sixty floors while they could simply run with him out the front door!"

Butler and Holly were silent for a moment, knowing that they should have realized this from the beginning. They had simply expected Artemis to be in the same cell. A big mistake when dealing with a lunatic.

"I have some heat seeking equipment. Foaly programmed certain images into it. His newest patent. If we're looking at a lamp, it'll tell us that it's a lamp and not a skinny hit man. He programmed some top priority personnel and criminals into it. Artemis might be in there somewhere." She handed all the members some goggles with a hoof print logo, ("Foaly's patent symbol") and they found a small list of Mud Men. The top one was Artemis. The next two were Butler's.

Holly, Butler and Mulch began searching through the floors, eliminating the few personnel, lamps, and security along the way. But being new to the impressive eyewear, Alexis was staring straight at the ground, trying to correct her now dizzy vision. And that was when she saw something.

Artemis was tinkering with his Cube. From the van he had 'borrowed' several tools, with the intention that he would at least have something heavy to throw in the general direction of his attackers. Not that it would hit or wound them, but it could distract them momentarily. This, dismantling a bomb under a strict time limit, was much more suitable for the boy genius.

Of course, Spiro hadn't left a clock, to allow Artemis to see his time constraints. And his own watch had gone missing. So, he decided to rely on his own methods. Behind him was a large window pane, over looking Chicago. Since the sun had already set, he couldn't simply calculate the sun's angle relative to his position to determine the hour. He had to use the stars.

While still trying to open a side of the Cube, he stared at the glass. A bird flew across, distracting him for a moment, and throwing his concentration. For some reason, the scene was hurting his eyes. Another bird went by. Artemis ignored the bomb entirely, and went to the window. He stared, and there it was. A small, almost seamless flicker. The bird went by again. It was not a window, but a screen. Nothing but a giant television playing a loop. But why?

Abandoning this for a moment, he noticed that a fifteen second loop meant 45 seconds had passed. Each bird marked another 15 seconds. He could now tell time. He went back to the Cube, and, after prying off the surprisingly sturdy plate cover, he gained access to the Cube's inner workings. Indeed, it looked nothing like his own C Cube, but he knew well enough where the detonator was. That in itself was the easiest part of the whole project. He glanced at the 'window'. 32 birds had now passed since he started counting. The bomb would go off after 40. How many had passed before he counted he couldn't tell. He worked faster.

Artemis was sick of the Columba livia, more commonly know as the pigeon, passing his window. The bomb has been easily dismantled, and he was now waiting for second part of Spiro's plan. The oxygen-free stage.

For a few moments he had set his mind to solving the screen mystery. It was a simple plasma screen with a very high revolution. Someone preoccupied with a bomb might's notice that the window was not looking out, but at a screen. Of course, it made sense to Artemis in a moment.

Spiro had explained quite freely that the air would be sucked out of the room. But, anyone in his or her right mind would simply break open the window for air. They might even use the bomb to break it open for them. But it would be in vain, and the explosion could have been to large or contained to be of any good.

It was to Artemis's reasoning that he was not, as he had first thought, in a top office high up on the Needle, but he was below it. The elevator ride had seemed short because it was, heading down perhaps two floors. Spiro had tried to confuse and intimidate him, and it had worked.


	14. Mole in the Mulch

-1Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

School's out, so I'm back, full-time. Sorry for all the waiting. Inspiration was hard to come by due to exams and studying like mad. I had to rewrite this chapter a dozen times before I even considered posting.

Chapter 14: Mole in the Mulch

**Spiro Needle**

The only thing Artemis could to was tap the ceiling with a screwdriver. The rhythmic tapping was the only thing keeping him sane. And it could be the only thing keeping him alive. He had a theory. Of course.

If the fake office had lighting and electricity, there had to be electrical wires and cable conduits. Unless the room had a spare generator lying around, the power came from the Needle. And Spiro had mentioned video cameras. As Foaly had said Mud Men still used wires at the core of everything. There was half a chance that, if he could find a cord, there could be a passage, meant for wiring, that he could get through. Or at least allow air into his prison. He knew he only had seconds left.

Suddenly, there was s small hissing. Artemis knew it was air being sucked from the room. He started working harder, his pianist fingers useless with the conditions set before them. The grim reality began to strike, and Artemis wasn't sure he could escape fate one last time. At least he wasn't going out in a fiery cloud. If he was lucky his body could be returned to his parents.

That made him work harder. He remembered the months after his father had gone missing on the _Fowl Star_, and how it had nearly driven his mother mad. Actually, it _had_. He was determined not to make her suffer again. And he had only been reunited with his father for a short time. Most of that time he'd avoided him, due to his criminal tendencies and Artemis Senior's new outlook on life. Maybe he should have taken it as an opportunity to be a regular kid. If I get out of this, I will be, he swore. He'd already successfully pulled out the biggest criminal venture in history, and at the age of twelve. There was no shame in retiring.

Artemis swung with all his strength, trying to beat a hole with which to create an opening in the ceiling tile. To his utmost surprise, the whole tile pulled away. He quickly masked his emotions though, seeing that there was a face peering at him through the opening.

"Mulch, glad to see you arrived in Chicago safely," he offered up a hand, and the dwarf pulled him through. He found himself in a narrow crawlspace, full of wires and cords.

"Happy to be here," the dwarf grunted, turning around. Thankfully for Artemis, the backflap was shut. "Holly made it too, but Root was detained. Apparently, he's still dead." Mulch started to crawl, Artemis following suite.

"Pardon?" He brushed a cobweb from in front of his face.

"Foaly didn't correct all of his paperwork. System says he's dead." The two had arrived at some cement blocks, two of which were out of place. Artemis crawled faster, still able to hear the insistent noise of air rushing out of the room below him.

Mulch started grabbing dirt, and for a moment Artemis feared that he would have to follow after Mulch while the dwarf was tunneling. That would not be pleasant. But looking up, it seemed the dwarf had taken care to not refill the tunnel. Instead it was just wide enough for them to get through. But it was just narrow enough that Artemis's nice suit scraped against the questionable substance that formed the tunnel foundations.

It was a few moments later that Artemis was back in open air, surrounded by fairies and humans alike. One of them was Alexis. For a moment her face was flushed with concern, but it was clear that she was also very upset. She stepped up to him.

"How dare you," she hissed, thrusting an accusing finger in his face. "I don't care what Butler said. You should have tried a bit harder to bring back my memories." She backed off and huffed, bearing a striking resemblance to Juliet after her favorite wrestler lost a game. Or round. Whatever they were called.

"Alexis, I'm sorry," he managed, ignoring the smirks from the fairies. Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled at Butler.

"Told you I could make him say it." She smiled at Artemis now. "We need to catch you up on things."

* * *

"Isabella is one-eighth fairy, and in the hands of the Mafia. Possibly Jon Spiro. If they witness her powers they'll doubtless take advantage of it," Artemis though aloud. The group was walking back towards the hotel, planning the next step. At least, Artemis was. Mulch and Alexis were preoccupied bickering with each other. He stopped, silencing the others.

"You said a helicopter left the Needle, correct?" Holly and Butler nodded. "It was probably Spiro, leaving to ensure that he wouldn't be caught if I did escape or was rescued. That's why he had cameras to tape everything, rather than staying himself. Since I was captured by two men from the Mafia, chances are Spiro will be getting together with the Antonellis. Probably to discuss fees. Since Isabella is family she may be included, or at the same location," he nodded at Alexis, who had given him that information, along with the Carla sighting. "We need to get Isabella way from them, explain to her about the People, and hope she won't join the Mafia voluntarily with her newfound abilities."

"Sounds like a plan, but how do we find the meeting?" Mulch asked. "We didn't follow the helicopter, so we don't know where Spiro went, and without Spiro we can't find the Antonellis'. Unless you managed to plant a tracker on him during your discussion…"

For a moment everyone was quiet, letting Artemis think. Holly coughed, and all eyes turned on her.

"Actually, we do know where they went. At least, someone does."

**Antonellis Family Manor, Chicago **

"How is it that Sool can't trust me? Or you, Holly? Or even my dear friend Julius! They have to send along someone to keep an eye on me. Me! The completely lawful private eye!" Mulch protested, trying to make Holly drop her guard. Trouble rolled his eyes. "Who did it? Who asked for him to come? I wasn't going to steal anything!"

"Actually, you were," Holly sighed, tired of the dwarf. "The art exhibit? Did you think we wouldn't notice? You and Artemis were going to steal those paintings!"

"Shh!" Mulch insisted, making sure no one was around. But the three fairies were alone. After contacting Trouble, Holly had brought the group to the Antonellis estate, where the helicopter Trouble had followed landed. Butler, Artemis, and Alexis had gone ahead to try to get Isabella the easy way. If that didn't work, the fairies would be called in.

"Mulch, the plan's pretty much common knowledge underground," Trouble put in as a result of the dwarf's secrecy.

"We aren't going to steal the paintings, really. You know how it's being advertised as having a couple authentic paintings?"

"Yeah. That's what you're going to steal, right?"

"No! It hurts that you all think that. The thing is, the paintings have never been tested for authenticity yet. They're doing those on the twenty-sixth. Artemis found out that the men who found the paintings conned the museum. The curator paid a pretty penny for each 'authentic' piece. The con artists claimed to have already had them tested, and they were believed on faith." Mulch paused, letting the two think about it. "But some experts suspected the paintings could be fakes. So they're getting tested. Artemis and I are going to switch the paintings with the originals." The dwarf nodded, proud of himself for the noble cause he was behind.

"Why not just give them the paintings? Why make the switch secret?"

"That's what I thought, because we ourselves could have made a nice bit of gold off that one. But Artemis got soft and said that would first, embarrass the museum, second, ruin their budget, buying the same paintings twice, and third…well, Artemis says the originals didn't come into his possession legally."

"He stole them?" Trouble asked. No matter how good the motive, Artemis Fowl couldn't be _that _good.

"No, some great uncle knew the guy or something…But either way, this is the easiest way for everybody, without ruining anyone's reputation. Happy?" He looked at Holly, who reluctantly nodded. "You'll tell that to Julius, right? I want to see his face when you do."

* * *

In front of the mansion gates, Butler studied the security. It didn't look good. Or rather, it looked _very_ good. Cameras covered every blind spot, guards patrolled the yard, and the experienced bodyguard wouldn't have been surprised if there were a few traps hidden as well.

"I don't think the original plan will work," he told the two teens. The 'original' plan had been Alexis would walk up to the front door, knock, and ask if Isabella was around. That had been the ideal scenario. It didn't look like that would happen anytime soon. Artemis turned to Alexis.

"I think you should go back to the hotel."

"Why?" the girl glared at Artemis, unhappy with his request.

"This is the Mafia. If you get involved, chances are it'll come back to haunt you. You don't deserve that. The hotel is also much safer, should any fighting occur."

"So wait, you deserve having the Mafia hunt you? They almost killed you once already today!" Alexis sighed. "But I see your point. I'll go back, on one condition."

"What?"

"All of you come back. With Isabella. Because if you don't , I will beat you until Butler finds out," she winked at the bodyguard. "I'll make sure that nobody has noticed that you're missing either. If anyone has I'll make up a story, like you went shopping or something. Good luck."

"On your way back, could you send the fairies along? We need to have a chat," Artemis grinned his vampire smile as a plan formed. He turned to Butler. "How should we gain an invitation?"


	15. Reading, Writing, and Robbing

Chapter 15: Reading, Writing, and Robbing

**Antonellis Family Manor, Chicago **

Isabella stared at the many candles in the lavish dining room. Her uncle, true to his Italian roots, had filled his home with candles despite the much more reliable availability of light bulbs. The girl hunched over in her seat, staring directly into the closest flame. Concentrate, concentrate, there! The slightest spark had come from the wick.

So the incident at the hotel had been real. Her grandmother's letter was telling the truth. She was some fairy-goblin-human hybrid. More like a freak. Her life was officially over. She'd have to lie to her friends, her dad, and anyone else that came around. No one could be allowed to discover the truth. A thought hit Isabella like a brick. Artemis _knew! _Maybe that's why he'd asked her those questions, not out of immaturity but understanding.

Isabella got up, looking for a phone. She would simply call the hotel and ask Artemis if he really knew. If he did, she owed a major apology. As she searched, Isabella became aware of a commotion outside. Finding a window, she looked out.

Some of the guards, which Uncle Spats explained were to protect some fancy art collection, were arguing, waving cell phones and digital cameras. Pressing against the glass, Isabella tried to see what they were fighting about. Something was lying on the ground. Impatient, Isabella headed onto the patio.

"What's going on?" A few guards snapped to attention, shrugging their shoulders and pointing at the two men still in the heated debate.

"I say it was an angel."

"No, no, no! It was a spirit, like a ghost or something!"

"What are you two blabbering about?' Isabella asked again, growing more impatient. One of the two men cleared his throat.

"We were doing our rounds when there was a strange noise. We came over to investigate," the man glanced at his fellows, gaining nods of encouragement, "when there was this figure. By that tree." The man pointed to a weeping willow that spanned over a small pond.

"What did the thing look like?"

"Well, uh, that's where we can't agree. I think it looked like an angel."

"Miss, it looked more like a blob of light. A ghost."

"Have any of you gone out there to check?"

"It disappeared, after a second!"

"Yeah, there was a bright flash of light." Other guards nodded in agreement.

"But no one went to check, to see if there were footprints or something?" No one answered. "Well?"

"No, because it might still be there." Isabella sighed, rubbing her temple.

"I'll check? Okay?" Before anyone could stop her, she was walking across the lawn towards the massive tree. Behind her the guards turned off the security system so she wouldn't accidentally set it off. From his viewpoint, Artemis could see his plan was turning out better than imagined.

Behind the tree, Trouble and Holly were thinking the same thing. Now there would be very few risks. On the ground was a simple light bulb, the 'spirit'. They had simply hoped the guards would turn off the security to check out the sighting. And it would be nothing more than a hanging light that fell from a tree branch. There were about four other fixtures in this tree alone. With ground security off, Artemis and Butler would dash in and find Isabella. This was working out so much better.

Of course, the Mud Girl could still overreact when seeing her first fairies. And she would still have to return to the Manor, as her disappearance would no doubt be suspicious. There were still too many 'ifs', but they could be easily handled with the _mesmer_.

Beneath them, said Mud Girl made her entrance. She walked over to the broken light fixture and held it over her head.

"I found your angel," she called. Through branches, Holly could see the guards shuffle around abashedly. And Butler had been worried those guys were professionals.

Isabella was about to turn back when she heard a melodic voice.

"_Don't call out. You want to enjoy the view for a few more minutes."_

"Hey guys, I think I'll stay here for a minute or two. Watch the water." The men at the house simply nodded, going back to the mundane rounds.

"_Isabella? Don't scream when we show ourselves." _She nodded and barely flinched when the two fairies appeared before her eyes.

"_Do you know what we are?" _Nod. "_Do you know what you are?"_ Nod. "Then we don't have a problem."

"Isabella, I'm Major Trouble Kelp and this is Holly Short. There are some things we need to tell you."


	16. Loose Ends

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

I know I haven't updated in a _long_ time, but my inspiration waned around the same time that my school workload grew. I also had no idea as to how to tie up some loose ends.

Chapter 16: Loose Ends

**Streets of Chicago**

Alexis paused outside of a brightly lit department store. There was a bench tempting her to sit down and take a break. She had been walking all the way from the Antonellis Manor, so she was a little worn out. And the bench was empty. She always felt awkward sitting on a bench that already had a sitter. Like sitting at a new lunch table, you never wanted to sit in somebody else's seat.

Taking a seat, Alexis pulled out her cell phone. Nothing. No messages from Artemis. How long had it been? Shouldn't they have gotten to Isabella by now? Had something gone wrong?

Stop it, she thought, berating herself for worrying. No news had to be good news. And it was Artemis, for Pete's sake. The smartest person she knew, with the strongest and most loyal bodyguard she knew, along with a couple of fairies. They were all going to be fine.

But maybe I should call…

As Alexis began to dial a man sat on the other side of the bench. She paused, considering whether to get up or not. She could only imagine what the stranger would think of a young girl on a cell phone asking about if a break-in had been successful. This was a phone call that needed to be made in private.

Alexis stood up and finished dialing the number. Walking towards an alcove in the storefront, she pressed the phone to her ear, waiting for the ringing to end. She cast a glance back to the bench while she waited and was surprised that the man was gone. Before she could react a hand was clamped on her shoulder and the phone torn from her grasp.

Instinct kicked in, as did several years of karate lessons. Going for a spinning back kick Alexis swung around, but her attacker easily avoided the blow. To her shock, it was a woman, not the man. He was standing a few feet away, watching the action with a smile on his old face.

"Now Carla, let's get her to the car." The woman grimaced at having been given an order. After a few moments, Alexis recognized the woman as the lady who had been walking with Isabella right before she'd seen Mulch. Then this man could be none other than Jon Spiro.

**Antonellis Family Manor, Chicago **

Artemis stood with Butler next to the back gates of the manor. They were waiting for Holly and Trouble to bring Isabella along. After hearing their story, Isabella still needed an excuse to get out of the family Christmas party.

Within a few minutes the gates swung open. A golf cart was on the other side, and after a few words with the driver, Isabella hopped off. Confused, the man shrugged and drove back to the main house. Isabella ran through the gates to Artemis and Butler, who had been hiding until the gold cart was out of sight. Mulch also came out as two shimmering patches of air became Trouble and Holly.

"I told my uncle that there was some competition meeting I had to attend. So what's going on? These two," she jerked a thumb towards the elves, "explained it to me, but I want to hear it from the horses mouth."

"They, actually, know more of the story than I do," Artemis shrugged. "You are descended from a fairy king, a fire controlling goblin, and humans. What more do you need to know?"

Butler gave a signal and they all began walking towards the awaiting rental car, a Bentley. Obviously, he wasn't comfortable discussing this sensitive information so near to a Mafia home.

"My grandmother explained quite a bit to me. What I want to know is why you needed to get me away from my uncle."

"Do you know that he is the head of the Chicago Mafia?" Silence. "If he were to somehow learn about your abilities, we believe he would attempt to use you to achieve his criminal enterprises."

"And how do I know you're not lying? Trying to turn me against a man I've know my entire life?" She cast a gaze around the vehicle. "I mean, the Fowl family isn't known for its model citizens. And these fairies, they could be renegades. You could all be lying."

"What must we do to gain your trust?"

"Present solid proof either confirming your identities or my uncle's criminal nature."

"Those are easy enough. Butler?" The manservant pulled out a large manilla folder and passed it back to Artemis. "Thank you. Here is the evidence. Of course, some is circumstantial…" He trailed off as Isabella leafed through the paperwork, all directly from the Chicago P.D..

"How do I know these aren't fake? That the signatures aren't forged?"

"You don't," Holly spoke up, growing tired of the trust game the two teens were playing.

"But I know that I've received several orders directly from your uncle and his cronies," Mulch added. Artemis was a little worried that the dwarf's testimony wouldn't help their case. He was right.

"You worked for my uncle in the Mafia? I trust you all so much now," Isabella snorted. "I don't care if you're the good guys or the bad guys. I can keep my magic a secret, alright? If these are true," she waved the folder, "then now I know to be extra careful while in his company. But I never used my powers before and I doubt my uncle is the type to believe in fairies. I'm fairly confident that he won't suspect a thing."

"That may no longer be true," Artemis said. "Your uncle's dealings with a man named Jon Spiro may have changed his mind."

"Spiro? I was just with him this afternoon. And he was at the party for a few minutes too. He left in a rush though."

"He left?"

"Yes. He wanted to talk with Uncle Spats but said he had to leave before more company arrived. I'll assume he was referring to you?"

Artemis nodded.

"Where did Spiro go?" Butler suddenly asked, his eyes not leaving the road.

"I don't know. All I know is that he wanted to get out of there before you people showed up. What, does he know about the People too?"

"He doesn't know about the existence of fairies, but after our last encounter…He might be more willing, especially if he were to see you use your magic."

"Like I said before, thanks for worrying, but I'm not so stupid as to use my newfound abilities in front of old men I've only known for a few hours. Or family I've known my whole life."

"But at the hotel, when you were upset, you accidentally let loose a fire ball. If you were to lose control of your emotions, who knows?"

Isabella was silent for a few moments, seeing the truth in Artemis' words. "Look, I'll be careful. If I get mad, I'll just leave the room. I've gained more control since this afternoon. But unless you have something really important, I'd recommend you drop me back off at the house. Otherwise my uncle _will_ suspect something."

A few minutes later, Butler had returned back to the main gates. As Isabella got out, she turned to Artemis one last time.

"I can take care of myself. Neither my uncle nor that Spiro man suspect me. And I'll keep it that way." Closing the door, she went up to the gate and disappeared into the night. Butler pulled the car away and headed towards the city.

"How can we trust her?" Mulch asked. "She might have known about her uncle the whole time. Maybe she's working for him, or was bugged-"

"Slow down Mulch," Artemis said.

"He has a valid point," Holly grudgingly said. "Isabella could have been lying."

"Didn't you _mesmerize_ her? Make it so she could only tell the truth, as we discussed?"

"We did submit her to the _mesmer_, but she's part fairy. The Book forbids using it on other fairies," Trouble stated. "Even though she's more Mud Girl than anything, there's a chance the magic didn't take."

"And some of her answers weren't answers. She never verbally said she knew about her uncle. And she used emotions to answer. 'I doubt, I wouldn't believe', stuff like that. There are ways around the truth if the mind is strong enough."

"So we might not have warned and saved her," Butler began.

"But informed her of what they're up against," Mulch finished. " We should have frisked and searched her."

"I did scan her, and she was clean," Trouble said.

"She only knows what she can remember," Holly added.

"Could we change that? Just give her a mind-wipe?" Butler asked.

"It's too much of a risk without Foaly," Artemis mused quietly. "If she was lying, then we should only erase the information she could use against us. It would have been her choice to join the family business. Fortunately, we'll have until morning to deal with all that."

"What, bedtime for the Mafia?" Mulch joked. Artemis shrugged.

"She said they her uncle was hosting a party. There won't be time for the host to leave and talk about fairies. And Isabella's staying at the hotel, just as we are. When she returns, we'll find out for certain if she was going to betray us. And if there is a problem, we'll take care of it. A block wipe should do the trick."

"I have to admit, the scenario is a good one," Holly said. "The last thing she'll remember is being at the party. Her mind will convince her that nothing happened, that she just got tired. Perfect."

"In theory," Mulch quickly said. "What if there's some late night Mafia meeting?"

"On Christmas Eve? With guests and family that are probably clueless to their Mob connections? I think not." Butler said from the front seat. They were already at the hotel and the manservant pulled into a parking space with ease.

"Depending on if she is escorted into the hotel or not, we'll try to get Isabella before she actually enters the hotel. Butler and I will wait in the lobby. You three should hide in those trees. Unless you would prefer coming inside?" Artemis looked at Mulch, who accepted his offer. "Is everyone clear on the plan?" Everyone nodded.

"Let's hope we don't need it," Butler said as he ushered Artemis and Mulch into the lavish lobby. Other than a worker at the front desk, no one was around to wonder why these three had come in and were loitering.

"I hope our friend gets here soon," Butler said in a loud voice. The single receptionist didn't look up but turned to hear better.

"Yes. Considering she has the room keys. But I believe she was going to catch the next taxi, so it won't be long," Artemis added to the act. At the desk, Butler spied the employee going back to whatever paperwork or magazine she'd been working on.

Sure enough, a dark car pulled up only ten minutes later. A man got out and opened the door for Isabella, and for a moment Artemis was worried the man would walk her to the door but he didn't. As soon as the car pulled away Butler got up and headed outside. Artemis and Mulch followed suit. Once outside, he headed over to the trees. From the looks of things, Holly and Trouble had already started.

"_Isabella, were you lying before?"_ Holly asked, her voice strangely melodically and deep.

"Why would I lie?" A vein twitched in the girl's forehead. She was fighting the _mesmer._

"_Answer yes or no, please,"_ Trouble asked.

"_Did you lie?"_ Holly asked more forcefully. With the twos combined powers, Isabella seemed to crumple.

"Yes. My uncle knew what my mother could do. He tried to get her to help him but she refused. She died fighting off hit men. She started the fire, but she was shot first. Uncle Spats said the same fate awaited me. I had to it. I couldn't do it to my dad, he'd be heartbroken. I'm all he has left."

Artemis cringed with guilt. The story was too close to his own. Except he had voluntarily entered the world of crime, where she had been forced.

"_How much does Uncle Spats know?"_

"Only that I have the same powers as my mom. He doesn't know about the People. I didn't tell him. He knows I have powers but not why. I didn't want to betray you, honestly. I have to. We're meeting tomorrow, he wants to know everything." Isabella seemed to drift off so Holly and Trouble released her from the _mesmer._

"We have to give her the mind-wipe," Trouble said. "And then we have to find a way to deal with her uncle."

"We can force Sool to send Foaly up. I mean, he can't just let a Mafia boss be this close to knowing the truth," Holly added hopefully.

"And he's known about magic for a good fourteen years. That can't be block wiped," Mulch smiled. "Unless we want to send him on a visit to Loafers."

"He has too much influence for that," Butler sighed. "As nice as that would be, but his disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed."

Later, as Butler carried the unconscious Isabella to her room after being mind-wiped, Artemis couldn't help but wonder about Jon Spiro. If Spats Antonellis had known about magic, couldn't Spiro as well? If he did, then he no doubt knew that he had been lying before when he told the story about the CIA.

As they headed down the hallway, Artemis was deep in thought. Spiro was still out there. Major Kelp was going to contact Commander Sool in order to get permission to wipe Antonellis. Legally, there was nothing they could do about Jon unless he really did know about magic. What could they have said? A man with a vendetta against Artemis could possibly know a little bit about magic? No. He was a problem for Artemis, not the People.

Butler inserted a key card and he went into the hotel room, emerging seconds later without Isabella. But he came out with a worried look.

Pulling the door shut, he simply said, "Alexis wasn't in there."

In seconds Artemis pulled out his cell phone and dialed Alexis' number. Butler led the way to one of their hotel rooms as Artemis anxiously waited through the rings. On the fourth ring, there was a click and someone had answered.

"Good evening Artemis. Or should I say good morning? You really are some great friend, not realizing someone is missing until several hours after they were abducted. I really did overestimate you. Even though I can see you've escaped death once again."

There was a pause as Artemis tried to think of how to respond. For perhaps the fourth time in his life he was speechless. What Spiro had done was really below the belt. Kidnapping an innocent bystander.

Hypocrite, a voice screamed at the back of his mind. He took a breath before hitting the speakerphone button on his phone, so that Butler could hear as well.

"What have you done with Alexis?"

"Nothing yet. And if you want it to stay that way, I suggest you come down to stop me."

"Tell me where and I'll be there."

"Just you? Arty, you are a terrible liar. I know Butler will be somewhere close by. And that's fine by me. I'd hate to leave him alive and unemployed. This time, I guarantee you won't survive our encounter."

Alright, I'll try to begin updating more regularly again.

C.A.T.


	17. The Loss of Ignorance

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

I know I keep forgetting to update, but now that school is over for the summer I should have more time to write.

Chapter 17: The Loss of Ignorance

**Warehouse, Chicago**

Jon Spiro stared patiently at his two prizes. One was little Arty's companion, another Irish smart kid. The other was a large gun. No silencer. In this neighborhood, gunshots were part of the everyday white noise. Well, only _after_ Mafia activity had come to the area.

Carla Frazetti glanced again at her watch. She let out an impatient sigh, just loud enough for Spiro to hear. Loud enough to irritate him. He glared at her while cocking the gun.

"Is something wrong?" His eyes were on her face, but Carla's eyes rested on the weapon he was still fiddling with.

"Nothing. I just thought Fowl would have been here by now. And stop playing with that! You'll shoot an eye out!"

"Is that a suggestion?" Carla paled. Trying to reassure herself, she ran her tongue over the ruby stud in her incisor. The old man before her, now a shadow of his former glory, was desperate, meaning he was dangerous. And she'd trusted him with the gun. Worse, he was also becoming impatient. The Fowl kid was supposed to have been here three minutes ago. Less than five minutes late, but in the world of criminal enterprises, time was money. And for a hostage, time was life. Carla studied the girl who was currently tied to a chair. She was the silent, brooding type. Hadn't said a single word since her initial capture. No empty threats, no 'My daddy will get you for this!', no "My daddy will give you whatever you want', only silence. As if she had been a captive before and knew how futile her efforts were.

"Tell me, Alexis Vanderbelt, does Artemis value your life over his own? He's four minutes late. That's hardly like him. I wonder if he's even coming to save you," Spiro chuckled, glancing at his diamond studded Rolex. "However, the party must go on. Tell me, what do you know about Artemis' _magical_ little escapades?"

For the first time Alexis really reacted, lifting her head from her chest to glare at Spiro. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"How did he really escape from me that first time, hm? His little story about the CIA was convincing, but he left some important details out. My cousin's thumb was cut off. Artemis vanished before my very eyes. He had some help…something supernatural. Tell me what it was!"

"You can't believe any of that, Jon!" Carla gasped. "There's no such thing as magic."

"Yes there is, and little Arty has access to it," Spiro snarled, his eyes gleaming.

"You're a freak!" Carla said, loosing her temper. "Spats was right; you've lost your touch. You've gone so crazy for power that your willing to believe there's magic!"

Suddenly the gun was pressed against her temple. "I am not crazy! I know that Artemis Fowl can use magic! I want that power!" In a fit of rage he swung the hilt of the gun at Carla's head, knocking her out cold. Spiro then turned back to Alexis. "Tell me what I want to know."

Staring down at the unconscious woman on the floor, the girl seemed to consider the possibilities before her. She cast one last look at the entrance of the warehouse as if hoping Artemis would come bursting through.

"There is magic in the world," Alexis sighed. Jon gave a whoop for joy.

"I knew I was right. I knew it was out there. How does it work? Are there spells or incantations? Wands? Tell me!" He grabbed her shoulders while maintaining his grip on the gun. "I need to know!"

"Only the pure of heart may know the secrets." Alexis tried to shrug off the man's hands but the ropes were too tight. Angry, Spiro moved to only an inch away from her face. Somewhere outside a siren approached but he didn't give it a second thought.

"Tell me or I will kill you!"

With a steely glare Alexis swung her head forward, colliding with Spiro's fragile nose. He let out an anguished yell as he held the bleeding lump in his hands. His eyes grew red with tears as he turned his focus to his weapon. There was a disgusting squelching noise as he wiped the blood off his face and aimed the gun at Alexis.

"That was a most unfortunate choice," he whispered. He fired a shot at Alexis and was pleased as it entered her left shoulder, just above the heart. It was a fatal wound, but after the resurrection of Butler, he wasn't taking any chances. Spiro aimed another shot for any vital organs in her stomach region. Before he could get the shot off, however, several somethings forced him to the ground. Blinking in his surroundings, he noticed there were SWAT and police members everywhere.

"I've got his weapon!"

"Check the girl's vitals!"

"Isn't that Frazetti over there?"

"Jon Spiro, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Alexis Vanderbelt and for breaking parole. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you by the State Office. You -"

Jon stopped listening as he felt the cuffs tighten around his bony wrists. Everything was going wrong. He hadn't thought that the police might have come. This neighborhood wasn't even patrolled by the police anymore. He glanced around the warehouse, feeling as if everything was in slow motion. Carla was being handcuffed to a stretcher and the Vanderbelt girl was being rushed into the back on an ambulance. Odd, he had time to think as he was shoved into the back of a police cruiser, the paramedic at that ambulance is huge. For a few seconds, as the girl was loaded into an ambulancehe could see several small creatures, almost like children. A taller figure started to pull the doors shut but made eye contact with him. Artemis Fowl.

Okay, that's where I'll leave it today. I hope to finish this with one more chapter! Thanks for reading!


	18. Epilogue Ciao

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. All rights go to Eoin Colfer.

Epilogue Ciao

**Artemis Fowl's Diary, Disc 3 (encrypted)**

_Once again, Alexis has been discharged from the hospital after some fairy healing. I have decided that, although she will not undergo another mind wipe, she will no longer be involved in my schemes with the People. It isn't fair to her, not after being abducted and shot because of me. _

_I admit, calling in the police was a risk. Yet it was the only plan of action Spiro would not have expected. This time he will be sent to prison for the remainder of his life. That I have made sure of. Even Spats Antonellis will be going, seeing that after his own mind wipe he confessed everything to the authorities. I'm willing to bet a large portion of the Chicago Mafia will not be operating any time soon._

_The only loose end of this whole incident is Isabella. She knows about the People and I have no idea whether or not she could be an ally. I do have some plans in Italy, perhaps she could assist me…_

_Mulch and I managed to switch the artwork in time. We, as Mulch said it, saved the museum some face. Holly and Major Trouble headed back to Haven before my kleptomaniac friend, turning a blind eye to our break in (even if it was for a good cause, it was still illegal). Foaly was more helpful by turning a blind eye on the museum's security cameras. I suppose he and Root were able to avoid any major trouble with Ark Sool. _

_Now that I'm headed back to Fowl Manor, I can fully focus on my next project. These strange, time-space anomalies have been occurring and I would like to track these movements. Based on a few sightings, it seems that Hybras, a demon colony mentioned in The Book, is resurfacing. I would like to meet one of these demons._

Thanks for reading! This has been Artemis Fowl: Legend of Frond

If I left any loose ends, let me know and I'll tie them up! Thanks!


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